Like Water Off A Psyduck's Back
by Andrew1
Summary: The Satsuma Island Water Pokemon Festival is underway, and Ash and company track down a mysterious thief in order to save a famous trainer's water-type Pokemon. What is the secret behind this mystery figure?
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**LIKE WATER OFF A PSYDUCK'S BACK**

By A. Jeung

_Author's note: This story takes place during the Orange Island Adventures._

Thanks to Scott's Jean Grey for beta reading (especially considering that she hates Pokémon).

Need a disclaimer? OK. Pokémon and its characters are copyrighted by Nintendo/Game Freak/Creatures Inc. and are used here without permission. The author is making no profit from this fanfiction.

PROLOGUE

The rain came down hard, wet but warm, as was typical in the Orange Islands at this time of year. The little convoy of three police vans made its way carefully through the dark night, their windshield wiper blades pushing aside rivulets of water as they moved rhythmically back and forth.

Jack was the driver of the middle van. He kept alert as he steered his vehicle along the winding, wet road. Not only was driving difficult in these dark and rainy conditions, but the two prisoners in the back of the van made him nervous. Jack had carted many prisoners along this route before, but these two were calm and cold, with looks of defiance he had never seen before in a prisoner. He felt as if their stares were going right through the little reinforced window that separated him from them and drilling straight into the back of his neck.

Jack fidgeted in his seat and tried to reassure himself. _What could possibly happen?_ he thought. _They're locked up in the back and handcuffed to boot._ He forced himself to relax. Still, he would be relieved when they finally made it to the high-security prison at the other end of the island.

A stoplight turned from green to red, and the convoy stopped at the intersection. 

In the black of the night, the drivers had no chance of seeing the three shiny Pokémon half buried in the ground beneath them. Their first indication of the impending attack was the exclamation they heard from beneath one of the vans.

"_Volt - orb!!_" the Pokémon shouted, just before powering up to a glowing white heat.

The ground underneath all three police vans exploded all at once, knocking two of them over and filling the rear one with smoke. Jack was thrown against the door and, shaking his head to clear it, he found his van on its side, driver's side down. He quickly scrambled up to open the passenger side window, and he peered out into the darkness while trying to keep most of his body under cover in the van. He and the other police drivers frantically looked in all directions for an attacker. In the darkness and rain, they could see nothing at all.

Like a white, lightly falling snow mixed in with the rain, a sparkling powder suddenly began to fall on them. Jack didn't even notice the powder until he had inhaled a little of it. Instantly he became drowsy.

"It's Sleep Powdurrrrhhh..." he tried to warn the others, but his words became slurred at the end as the powerful dust took effect. His warning came too late, and he saw the other police drivers fall over unconscious just before succumbing himself.

A single Ivysaur appeared out of the darkness. There were no police left awake to oppose it, and it calmly lumbered up to the middle van and sliced open the lock with a knife-edged leaf. The two prisoners, a man and a woman, jumped out of the back of the van, covering their mouths and noses with their sleeves to avoid inhaling any residual powder. A couple more leaves took care of the handcuffs, and the now freed prisoners ran off into the rainy night. The Ivysaur, having completed its mission, shuffled off in another direction, leaving the police vans and their unconscious inhabitants still in the road. The overturned and smoking vans remained, silent and unmoving, and the incessant pelting of rain was the only remaining sound as the stoplight quietly turned from red back to green.

*

The two escaped prisoners ran until they found a public videophone. The woman dialed a number, and the two of them waited attentively, the rain soaking their orange prison garb, as the line connected. On the screen appeared the face of Giovanni.

"So," said the Team Rocket leader, "the escape plan went smoothly. Good. Rest up tonight. I'll expect you two back in service first thing tomorrow."

"We'll need some kind of equipment to replace what we lost," said the woman. It was a bold request, considering how much Giovanni had done for them already, but it was a risk she was willing to take.

If Giovanni was angry at the woman's impertinence, he showed no signs of it. He merely petted his Persian as he calmly replied, "Very well. You may have the prototype amplifier since the other was destroyed."

"The prototype? The one that requires transceivers to operate?" inquired the man in a raspy voice.

"Yes," was the reply. "There are two silver transceivers and one gold available."

"And a psychic type Pokémon?" the woman asked.

"We have something," said Giovanni. "It's not primarily a psychic type, but it will have the abilities you require. Anything else?"

"Is there a spare voice modulator?" she asked.

"There is one," replied the Team Rocket boss. "You may use it." Before the man and woman could speak again, Giovanni leaned into the screen and looked at the two of them sternly. "I went through a lot of expense and effort to get you two free," he declared. "Do NOT fail me again."

"Yes, sir," the two said in unison.

The Persian gave a playful yowl as the Team Rocket leader announced, "Giovanni, out." The woman disconnected the call, and the two escapees made their way into the dark night.

CHAPTER 1

The sunlight reflected playfully off the waves as the waters parted before the Lapras and its three human riders making their way through the seas of the Orange Islands. One of the humans, a boy in a red and white baseball cap, was sitting next to a Pikachu and was busy polishing a set of shiny objects, while another, slightly older boy wearing a green shirt and pink headband was occupied sketching a Psyduck. Between them was a redheaded girl, basking in the tropical sunshine and cradling a Togepi in her arms.

"Ash, are you going to be polishing those badges of yours all day?" the girl asked, looking at the boy with the Pikachu.

"I'm almost done, Misty," Ash replied absently without looking up, as he carefully put a beautiful shine on the Jade Star, his newest badge. Finally satisfied with its appearance, he placed it down carefully next to the other three badges, already polished and blindingly brilliant in the bright sunshine.

As Ash and Pikachu looked admiringly at the four shiny medals, Misty turned to the other boy and inquired, "By the way, Tracey, where are we headed?"

"Satsuma Island," the older boy replied, his back towards the others. He was fully engrossed with sketching Misty's Psyduck, and he didn't even bother to turn around to answer her question. "It's the last stop before we get to Pummelo. Here, you can look at the map if you want." He thrust the map behind his back at Misty, still not taking the time to turn around. As she did not take the map right away, he shook it in her face impatiently, waiting for her to take it so that he could get back to his drawing.

Misty took the map and folded it in her lap. She glanced expectantly back to Ash and Pikachu, but, seeing that they were still preoccupied with the gym badges, she merely sighed to herself and didn't try to say anything else to them. She turned instead to the baby Pokémon in her arms, declaring, "Well, at least Togepi has time to pay attention to me."

"_To - ge - brrrrrrrriiiii!_" the egg Pokémon responded happily.

Tracey hardly noticed what she said. He was completely engaged trying to capture the outlines of Misty's Psyduck and depicting the unique shape of its beak. The beak was more rounded than in other Psyducks he had seen before, and he wanted to get it down accurately on paper so that he could compare it to his earlier drawings.

He felt that his art had taken on a new dimension since their encounter with Dr. Quackenpoker, the Magikarp expert on Rind Island. Tracey had been drawing Pokémon for as long as he could remember and called himself a Pokémon watcher, but he had always considered it a mere hobby, something he would eventually have to give up when he got older. But Quackenpoker had told him that he had a great future ahead of him, and he started to wonder if he really could work with Pokémon as more than just a pastime. He had originally joined Ash and Misty in the hopes of merely meeting his idol, the famous Professor Oak, but his horizons had expanded considerably since then. And, as impossible as it was for him to believe, he was actually contemplating something that he never thought an amateur such as he would dare do: he was considering asking the renowned professor for an assistant's job when he finally made it to Pallet Town. Of course, he had not mentioned this to Ash and Misty. He did not dare jinx his chances by mentioning the idea out loud; besides, he was afraid that they might laugh at him if they knew.

A strong passing wave suddenly knocked Lapras sideways a few inches. Ash had the presence of mind to snatch up all his badges before he lost any to the sea, but unfortunately, Psyduck was not so prepared.

"_Psy - psy - psy - psy - psy - psy!_" the duck quacked in a panic, as it flailed its tiny wings in a futile attempt to keep its balance. It fell over backwards, landing in the water with a large splash. Still quacking frantically, it sank into the water like a stone.

"Psyduck!" cried Misty, as Ash whipped out a pokéball.

"I choose you ... Squirtle!" Ash shouted. The little turtle materialized in a flash of light and instantly dived into the depths to retrieve the sinking Pokémon. It a few seconds, Squirtle reemerged, carrying the nearly drowned duck in its front paws. "_Squirtle!_" it called out in success.

Spluttering and gasping for air, Psyduck plopped face down on Lapras' shell. The bright sunlight reflected off each of the tiny drops of water as they beaded up on Psyduck's oily back and rolled off, barely wetting its skin.

Misty glowered at her feebleminded duck sternly. Tracey knew that she was just worried about Psyduck, but she made it seem as if she were irritated at it instead. "You stupid Psyduck!" she hollered, clenching her fists. "Whoever heard of a water-type Pokémon that can't swim? One of these days, I'll show you what a headache is really like!"

"Relax," said Tracey, soothingly. "Psyduck is just fine." He put his drawing material away; he would have to finish his sketch later. He added, "And with that natural coating on its skin to keep the water out, it should be dry in no time."

"That's good," replied Ash, as he pointed to the tall, white buildings of an island that was looming in front of them, "because we're almost there."

It was no more than a few minutes later when Lapras pulled up to the shore on Satsuma Island. Extending out into the water was a large wooden pier, onto which Ash, Misty, Tracey, and Pikachu climbed up before Ash recalled Lapras to its pokéball.

"This place is beautiful!" Misty exclaimed.

They looked. Immediately to the right of the pier, numerous rows of pristine bleachers were set up along the shore. The bleachers were arranged so that they were facing directly towards the ocean, and they made an odd appearance until one realized that they were probably arranged for some kind of water show. Beyond the bleachers was a large and inviting tourist beach that seemed to stretch along the coast for miles. The beach was not too crowded and had only a few dozen sun worshipers, stretched out on the clean white sand or strolling along the water's edge. Behind the beach lay a large boardwalk, on which a number of empty booths adorned with brightly colored flags and pennants had been set up. And on their left side, they could see a rather imposing marble building with a distinctive classical architecture behind a small park. 

"Let's go visit the beach after we stop at the Pokémon Center," Tracey suggested. The others agreed.

Satsuma City was surprisingly metropolitan for an island city, but also very well kept and clean. It seemed as if the white, gleaming buildings reflected the dazzling tropical sunlight everywhere they looked.

Before long, the little group arrived at the Pokémon Center, near the center of town. It was full of people and very noisy when they entered.

"This is weird," Ash declared. "Pokémon Centers aren't usually this busy."

They pushed their way through the boisterous crowd, eventually making it to the front desk, where they found Nurse Joy. "Welcome," she greeted them. "Are you here for the Water Pokémon Festival, too?"

Misty's aqua eyes lit up instantly. "There's A WATER POKÉMON FESTIVAL?!" she squealed in excitement.

"Take a look at this," Tracey said. He was holding a bright pink flyer that he had picked up from the front desk. The large print on the top of the flyer read:

COME TO THE FIFTH ANNUAL  
ORANGE ISLANDS WATER POKÉMON FESTIVAL  
SATSUMA ISLAND BEACH BOARDWALK  
FEATURING OUR SPECIAL GUEST  
THE FAMOUS WATER POKÉMON TRAINER  
ALISTAIR CYMPELTON III

Ash read the flyer with a look of confusion on his face. "The guy's name is 'Simpleton'?!" he asked incredulously.

"It's pronounced 'Cym-PEL-ton'," Misty corrected, purposely exaggerating the accent on the second syllable. "Don't you know anything? He's one of the leading water Pokémon trainers in the world!"

"According to this," Tracey said, as he looked at the details on the flyer, "the festival will begin this afternoon with a water show at the pier featuring Cympelton's prize Blastoise. And there's an public reception tonight at the Satsuma Island Convention Hall, next to the pier, where we can get a look at his one of a kind Shiny Magikarp!"

"The convention hall must be the big building we saw on our way in," Ash mused.

Tracey continued to read the flyer. "The water show isn't for a few hours," he said. "That means we have some time..."

"...to go and have some fun on that beach we saw!" Ash completed the sentence triumphantly.

"_Pi - ka!_" rejoined Pikachu in agreement.

"Wait a minute, you guys," Misty called to the other two as they started to depart. "We should really have our Pokémon get their checkup from Nurse Joy first." Looking around at the crowds, she added, "And maybe we should reserve a room at the center, if there still are any ... ?" She glanced up at Nurse Joy quizzically.

Nurse Joy smiled. "You're in luck," she replied. "The last three beds are still available."

"Great! We'll take them," replied Ash, handing Dexter to Nurse Joy as identification to secure the reservation. As Nurse Joy began processing the reservation, Ash turned grinningly to the others, saying, "It'll be really great to take it easy and enjoy the festival for a few days before the league competition."

Misty had to agree. After all, it was less than a week ago that she had been running around frantically looking for Stun Spore antidote because Ash and Tracey had stupidly fallen into a giant Vileplume. After an adventure like that, she thought she deserved a few days of stress-free rest and relaxation.

*

In another part of town, two humans and a Meowth were making their way down the street. 

"It sure was a good t'ing dat we made it ta dis island before dat battery on da Magikarp sub gave out completely," the Meowth remarked.

"Yes," agreed one of the humans, a woman with long curling red hair. "That new battery attachment to power the submarine propulsion with is the best thing we ever stole."

The other human, a man with oddly bluish hair, added, "I've almost forgotten what it was like to have to pedal the thing."

"Well, we'll have to start pedaling it again until we can get our hands on a new battery," the woman replied. She turned to her companion. "Why didn't we steal a battery on the last island, James?"

"Don't you remember, Jess?" James answered. "I spent all the time trying to fix the drive shaft, and had barely finished when we encountered the twerps again. We got blasted off before we ever got a chance."

Jessie scowled at the memory. She was sick and tired of their constant stratospheric launchings at the hands of that twerp and his Pikachu. After over a year of continuous blastings, she didn't know why she suddenly chose this moment to be angry about it, but for some reason the mere thought of being shot into the air again made her livid.

"That's IT!" she shouted in rage. "I've had it with being blasted off!" She whirled around to her startled companions. "I want it known right here and now that things are going to change around here," she growled fiercely. "I refuse to be blown away by the twerps ever again! Satsuma Island, right here, this is where things are going to change!"

"For the better, you mean?" James asked doubtfully. That's what it sounded like Jessie was saying, but he found the whole proposition very unlikely.

"It could hardly be woise," Meowth pointed out.

Jessie seemed not even to hear them as she turned determinedly back in the direction they had been going and pressed on at a rapid pace. James and Meowth trailed behind, looking quizzically at each other.

"It looks like Jessie's decided ta really take the Tauros by da horns dis time," a perplexed Meowth remarked.

"Yes," James agreed, still skeptical of where his partner's newfound initiative would lead them. "I just hope we don't all get gored by them in the process."

*

After a few hours of fun on the beach, Ash, Misty, and Tracey made their way to the pier for the water show. After a brief search, they managed to find enough space on the now crowded bleachers for the three of them to sit together. Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder, and Togepi nestled in Misty's lap, as usual. They had just barely sat down when the show started.

The show began with an appearance by the mayor of Satsuma Island. He was a rotund, fat, middle-aged man with brown hair and thick round glasses. "Ladies and gentlemen," he called out. "I welcome you one and all to the Fifth Annual Orange Islands Water Pokémon Festival!" At this, the crowd burst out in applause. The mayor continued, "To kick off our annual celebration of water Pokémon, I would like to introduce to you our very special guest. He was the winner of the Orange League for six consecutive years, and has been featured on the covers of such magazines as _Wartortle Magazine_ and _Pokémon World Monthly_. I present to you the famous Alistair Cympelton III!"

Alistair Cympelton came out and greeted the audience to enthusiastic cheers and applause. He was a portly, balding man with a carefully groomed mustache, and he was dressed in a fine light blue jacket over a gold-rimmed waistcoat. He basked in the applause from the crowd for quite some time before raising his hand for silence. Cympelton then turned towards the ocean and dramatically called out, "Blastoise, emerge!" At his call, the Blastoise rose dramatically out of the ocean where it had been hiding. With one push of its powerful legs, the Blastoise hurled itself out of the water, flew twenty yards through the air, and made a perfect landing right next to its trainer on the sand near the water's edge. Ash was astonished. This was truly a very well trained and powerful looking Pokémon. Ash wasn't sure if he had ever seen a Blastoise that looked so strong.

Cympelton held out his hand for attention, and the crowd grew silent. He announced, "And now, the highlight of this afternoon's show. This year at the festival, I have only received one challenge for a Pokémon battle that I consider worthy of my mettle. You, the people of Satsuma Island, are privileged to witness this battle right here at this show!"

The audience began buzzing with excitement.

Cympelton called out, "Will the challenger come out please!"

A man in his late twenties, with tanned skin and dark curly hair came out to face Cympelton.

Ash was enthralled by the proceedings and kept his eyes fixed on the challenger as he asked Tracey, "Do you recognize that guy?" 

"You bet," Tracey replied. "His name is Sergio, and he won the Orange League Trophy two years ago."

Ash nodded, and then turned his attention back to the match.

"I choose Blastoise," Cympelton declared.

Sergio regarded his opponent calmly. If he was nervous at facing Cympelton's Blastoise, he showed no sign of it. He pulled out a pokéball and threw it, shouting, "Alakazam, go!"

The pokéball burst open, and the psychic Pokémon materialized. It faced its opponent with a composed, detached look.

Sergio took the first move. "Alakazam, Psychic attack!" he called. The psychic Pokémon concentrated, and the Blastoise was immediately enveloped in a pale blue light. Slowly, the giant tortoise was lifted off the ground as the Alakazam focused its telekinetic power.

Cympelton seemed unconcerned. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" he ordered.

Enormous jets of water came barreling out of the Blastoise's twin mounted cannons. The sudden force of the escaping water propelled the giant turtle out of the Alakazam's psychic grasp. The psi Pokémon blinked in confusion as its focused telekinetic cloud dissipated into thin air, its energy expended on empty space. The Blastoise flew through the air and landed nimbly on its hind legs.

Cympelton gave a nod of approval. "Good work, Blastoise, now Bubble attack!" he commanded. Thousands of watery bubbles began pouring out of the giant turtle's twin cannons. The bubbles immediately swarmed around the Alakazam and began popping with explosive force all around it. To Ash, it looked like a multitude of watery firecrackers surrounding the unfortunate psychic creature. The Alakazam went reeling, trying desperately to escape the powerful aquatic barrage. Finally, the last bubble finished popping, and the psi Pokémon staggered away. "_Alakazam!_" it called out. It was still able and willing to battle, but obviously weakened.

Sergio was not willing to give up yet. "Alakazam, use Psybeam!" he yelled. A prismatic spray of energy erupted from the psychic Pokémon's forehead and drove straight for the enormous turtle.

"Blastoise, Protect," Cympelton called out without hesitation.

The Blastoise complied, instantly retracting its head and legs inside its armored shell. The Alakazam's iridescent energy beam hit the shell and sprayed harmlessly off it, doing no damage.

Cympelton grinned in anticipation. "Now, Blastoise, Water Gun!" he ordered. The Blastoise immediately popped its head and extremities back out of its shell and prepared for its attack.

"Alakazam, Reflect!" Sergio shouted in consternation.

The Blastoise firmly planted its left foot in the sand and shot off a torrent of water with the force of a dozen fire hoses. The Alakazam barely had time to set up its defensive screen before the Blastoise's water jet came blasting down on it. The psychic force field held out the water at first, but the powerful jet slowly started penetrating, little by little. Ash could see that the Alakazam was straining desperately to maintain the psychic shield, while the Blastoise looked as if it could keep up its barrage of water indefinitely. Finally, the strain was too much for the psychic Pokémon, and the water blasted through its shield and struck it directly in the chest. The Alakazam was knocked down hard by the force of the water, and it struggled back onto one knee as it attempted to rise.

"Now," said Cympelton, "use a Skull Bash."

"Get up, now!" Sergio yelled to his Pokémon. As the Alakazam struggled painfully to its feet, the Blastoise lowered its head for the attack. Using its powerful legs, the giant tortoise launched itself head first powerfully in the air, heading straight for the Alakazam like an oncoming missile.

"Alakazam, Teleport..." Sergio called, but it was too late. The Blastoise slammed into its psychic opponent, smashing its reinforced skull right into the Alakazam's midsection. The psi Pokémon doubled over, then collapsed on the ground, where it lay still.

The crowd cheered wildly while Sergio recalled the unconscious Alakazam to its pokéball. Cympelton, meanwhile, was bowing ostentatiously to the audience, grinning and taking in the applause as if he had defeated the Alakazam personally.

Tracey turned to the others and said, "That was a sensational battle!"

Ash agreed, "It was. That Mr. Simpleton is really good. I bet I could beat him though."

"It's Cym-PEL-ton, remember?" corrected Misty. "And I doubt you could beat him, Ash," she added skeptically. "Look how easily he beat Sergio. And didn't you hear what the mayor said? He won the Orange League Trophy several years in a row."

"I bet I could," Ash insisted stubbornly. "But we'll find out."

Misty looked at Ash suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

Ash grinned confidently. "I'm going to challenge Alistair Cympelton to a Pokémon battle when we meet him at the reception tonight!"


	2. Chapter 2

Like Water Off A Psyduck's Back 

CHAPTER 2

It seemed as if the entire city had showed up for the evening reception, and the Satsuma Island Convention Hall was the perfect setting for it. The interior was of classical architecture, with majestic columns rising from the smooth marble floor right up to the arched ceiling. The arrangements for the reception itself were very posh, even ostentatious. Tuxedoed waiters, carrying polished silver trays of fancy hors d'oeuvres, made their way through the eager crowds. Along a wall to one side, long tables with fresh white tablecloths were piled high with other appetizers. A string quartet, composed of three human violinists and a Wigglytuff cellist, played classical music in the corner. And near the center of the room was placed a large, crystal clear water tank containing the Shiny Magikarp, the main attraction for the evening. Unlike typical members of its species, this Magikarp wore scales cast in myriad iridescent hues of blues and purples that mixed and shimmered together like a beautiful underwater, floating rainbow. The passing crowds were utterly transfixed by the lovely creature as it swam around in its tank.

"It's certainly a fancy setup," Ash remarked, as the three of them arrived.

"According to Nurse Joy, Cympelton insisted that it be set up exactly this way," Misty said. "Apparently, he only shows off his Pokémon under the finest of conditions."

Tracey noticed the Shiny Pokémon right away. Pulling out a sketchpad and pencil, he announced, "I've got to get a sketch of the Magikarp!" before running off in the direction of the tank.

Misty smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. "Well, Ash, I guess it's just the two of us for now..." she began, and then stopped suddenly upon turning around. Ash was no longer anywhere near her, as he and Pikachu had eagerly started off to the hors d'oeuvres table without her and were almost halfway there.

Misty sighed forlornly at finding herself left alone with Togepi again. She was not hungry, and decided not to join Ash at the appetizer table. Instead she scanned through the crowds, looking to see if there was anyone she recognized. Eventually she spotted Cympelton. He was now wearing a fancy evening dinner jacket over his gold-rimmed waistcoat.

_Well_, thought Misty to herself, _I've always wanted to meet him. I guess this is as good a time as any._

She started off in his direction. As she got closer, she realized that Cympelton was engaged in a conversation with someone already. The other person was a tall, well-built man in a business suit and dark glasses. Although still far away, Misty could hear the man's voice as he spoke. He had a rasping voice that grated on the redhead's ears, even from this distance.

"I'm telling you, Cympelton," the man was saying, "the people in the far corners of Johto, like around Cianwood, would give their front teeth to hear a lecture series from you."

"Of course they would," replied Cympelton, with an air of self-importance, "but we would need to work out appropriate travel arrangements. Cianwood is a long way, and my prize Blastoise never stays in a pokéball. It is much too fine a creature to be stored in such a crude manner."

"Whatever arrangements are needed, we can provide," the man answered. "You let me represent you, and I can guarantee that my agency can work out a contract that would be to your liking."

_It's just some talent agent_, Misty thought to herself, but she couldn't shake the feeling that his voice seemed familiar. She was so distracted trying to remember where she heard it before that she failed to realize that her grip on Togepi was not sufficiently secure.

Chirping happily, the little egg Pokémon squirmed out of the girl's grasp and ran off playfully in a random direction, disappearing into a nearby crowd. "Togepi!" Misty called as she tried to follow it. There were a lot of people in this area of the reception, and Misty struggled to squeeze through the crowds in an attempt to catch up with her Pokémon. The baby Pokémon had a good lead and was having an easier time navigating through the crowds due to its small size.

Togepi bumped into a brown-haired man, who spilled his ice cube-filled drink onto the marble floor. Misty didn't even notice the spill until she had stepped into it. Several slick ice cubes stuck themselves firmly under her shoe, and she gasped in panic as she realized that she suddenly had no traction at all on the polished marble surface. Arms flailing wildly, she slid uncontrollably over the floor. The crowds parted and people screamed, trying to get out of the her way as she careened over the polished ground, and she suddenly found herself barreling straight towards Cympelton and the agent.

It seemed to Misty as if everything were happening in slow motion. Cympelton and the agent had apparently just closed some deal and were about to shake hands. Misty could see their hands approaching each other, seemingly very slowly, and she thought she got a glimpse of a small, shiny gold object in the agent's palm as it came up to meet Cympelton's. She was too close to them by this time, however, and she plowed right into the both of them before they could actually shake hands. The agent instinctively grabbed hold of Misty to keep her from falling and to hold her steady.

Once she stopped sliding, Misty freed herself from the agent's grasp, shook off the ice cubes from the sole of her shoe, and straightened herself out. She became acutely aware that all conversation in the immediate vicinity had stopped cold and that everyone was looking at her with expressions of shock and surprise. She was more than a little embarrassed at the spectacle she had caused.

"Little girl," Cympelton exclaimed in a patronizing manner, "just what is the meaning of this?"

"Excuse me," said Misty in a fluster. "It was an accident. I was looking for my Togepi..."

"Well, please see to it that there are no more such accidents," Cympelton replied, still in a condescending tone. "I do not tolerate such things at my public receptions."

Misty was about to respond when she saw Ash walk up. Togepi was in his arms, and Pikachu was following close behind while chewing happily on a morsel. Ash seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the surrounding people were all staring at them. "Hey Misty," he said, his mouth still full of food. "I found Togepi running around here all by itself." Handing the little Pokémon over to her, he looked up and saw Cympelton. "So," Ash said, smiling, "you must be Mr. Simpleton."

Cympelton turned bright red, and his eyes bulged slightly out of their sockets. "That's Cym-PEL-ton, you foolish boy!" he bellowed. He turned to Misty in exasperation. "I should have guessed that he was with you," the famous trainer declared.

By this time, Misty was fuming at the water trainer's snobbish attitude, but Ash didn't seem to notice. "Mr. CymPELton," he said, struggling to pronounce the name correctly, "My name is Ash Ketchum and I'm from Pallet Town. I hear that you are a famous water-type Pokémon trainer, and I'd like to challenge you to a Pokémon battle."

Cympelton snorted. "_You_ in a Pokémon battle with _me_?" he asked in derision. A few chuckles could be heard from the surrounding onlookers.

Ash nodded.

The older man snorted again. "Young man, I am one of the foremost trainers in the Orange Archipelago. I won the Orange League trophy six years in a row -- the longest winning continuous streak in the league's history. Since evolving from a Wartortle, my Blastoise has never been defeated in battle -- not even once! I'm sorry, but little boys such as yourself are simply not in my league!"

Ash was a little surprised at being refused with such disdain. "But I placed in the Indigo League!" he protested. "In the top sixteen," he quickly added, saying the words more quietly so that no one could hear.

But Cympelton was already walking away. "Call me when you've actually faced off against Lance," he said as he was departing. The agent in the business suit also went off, walking swiftly away in the opposite direction. With the exchange now over, the surrounding crowd of onlookers started to break up.

As Ash stood, crestfallen, Misty took his arm. "Come on," she said huffily. She was still quite angry at Cympelton's condescension towards the two of them, but she decided to let it go. "Forget about him, Ash. He's just a pompous jerk. Why don't you show me where the good hors d'oeuvres are?" she said, as she led him back to the food table. Pikachu shrugged his shoulders and followed behind.

The agent made his way quickly out of the convention hall and to the end of the pier, where he met up with a blonde woman in pigtails.

"Did everything go according to plan?" she asked.

"No," replied the agent brusquely, "but we'll just have to make the best of what we've got."

*

Tracey was just finished sketching the Magikarp's dorsal fin when he felt a presence behind him.

He turned around and discovered Sergio, the Alakazam trainer from the afternoon, standing next to him.

"Nice drawing," Sergio commented.

"Thanks!" replied the boy. "Hey, that was a fantastic battle you fought against the Blastoise today, even if you didn't win."

Sergio nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you. We all lose sometimes."

Tracey stretched out a hand. "My name is Tracey," he said.

Sergio nodded again without saying anything as he took the boy's hand and shook it gently. It was obvious that the Alakazam trainer was very reserved and quiet. Tracey noticed the man's deep, penetrating eyes and somehow sensed that he had a thoughtful and sensitive nature. _It probably comes from being a psychic Pokémon trainer_, Tracey thought.

Tracey was trying to think of what to say next when another person came up to the Magikarp tank. It was Cympelton, and he grinned gloatingly at Sergio as he came up to the two of them.

Sergio politely stretched out his hand to the water Pokémon trainer. "Greetings, Mr. Cympelton. I congratulate you on your victory over me this afternoon."

Instead of taking Sergio's hand, Cympelton merely waved the other trainer away with a disdainful gesture of his hand. "Of course," he replied haughtily. "My Blastoise has never been defeated since evolving." Cympelton then noticed Tracey for the first time. He turned towards the boy and glanced at the sketch of the Magikarp.

"Are you an artist?" inquired the water-type trainer.

"Hello, Mr. Cympelton," Tracey replied. "My name is Tracey, and I'm actually working towards being a Pokémon watcher."

"Humph," snorted Cympelton. "So what have you observed about my prize-winning Magikarp, young man?"

"Well," Tracey said, "for one thing, I noticed that your Magikarp has a unique fin structure that I've only seen on Magikarp around Rind Island. I worked briefly on a research project there recently. I would guess that this specimen is from there."

"Young man," Cympelton scoffed. "Nothing could be further from the truth. I assure you that this Magikarp is from Rage Lake near Mahogany Town in Johto."

"But the fin structure..." Tracey insisted.

"Is irrelevant," said Cympelton, cutting the boy off. He pointed to the majestic fish's underbelly. "See these spots here?" he said. "These clearly indicate that the Magikarp is from Rage Lake. Only Magikarp from that area have this kind of underbelly marking. If you were a real Pokémon watcher, you would know that already."

Tracey was stunned into silence as Cympelton continued. "Young man, let me be frank with you. I've seen a lot of promising young men and women struggle to make a living in the Pokémon watching business. If the kind of observational mistake you just made is typical of you, it very hard for you to form accurate conclusions about the Pokémon you see. In my opinion, your future as a Pokémon watcher is extremely limited. I advise you to go and find something else that you _are_ good at."

Tracey wilted. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was too shocked and embarrassed to say anything, and he stood in stunned silence as the water Pokémon trainer walked away without another word. Sergio, who had been watching the entire exchange quietly, looked at Tracey sadly for a few seconds before walking off in silence in another direction.

*

The three friends and Pikachu all met up about half an hour later, and, deciding to leave the reception early, made their way back towards the Pokémon Center in silence. Misty, still carrying Togepi, was fuming, Ash was disappointed, and Tracey seemed so despondent that he barely lifted his head as they walked through the now quiet streets of Satsuma City.

The Pokémon Center was now empty, as nearly the whole town was at the festival reception. Nurse Joy and her Chansey, who were still on duty, were the only two in the room.

Misty broke the silence first as they entered the center. "I can't believe that Cympelton guy! To think that I wanted to meet him! I can't believe that such an arrogant, conceited jerk is a famous water trainer!"

"I can't believe he won't battle me," Ash declared.

"He told me I'm a lousy Pokémon watcher," Tracey said, still not looking up.

"He said what?!" exclaimed Misty in surprise.

"Oh, it's okay," Tracey added. "It was something that needed to be said. Being a real Pokémon watcher was always sort of a pipe dream anyway, and it's about time somebody convinced me to let the dream go and pursue something more useful."

"Come on, Tracey, you can't mean that," Misty told him.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. "When I was getting badges for the first time, all kinds of people told me that I wasn't good enough to compete in the Indigo League. Fortunately, I never listen to anybody!" he declared proudly.

"Excuse me," interrupted Nurse Joy. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help overhearing." She walked over to stand in front of Tracey.

Tracey looked up.

"It's none of my business," the nurse said, "but your situation reminds me a lot of what my Grandma Joy used to tell me when I was studying to be a nurse and people said I couldn't make it. She had an expression she used -- she told me to let criticism roll off me like water off a Psyduck's back."

Ash was confused. "You mean, when someone criticizes you, you're supposed to get wet?" he asked, puzzled.

Nurse Joy laughed. "No, no, Ash. Have you ever seen how water droplets behave on a Psyduck when it gets wet?"

"Sure," replied Misty. "We saw it just this morning. The water just beads up and falls right off. Tracey said it was because of some special coating on its skin."

"That's right," Nurse Joy confirmed. She turned back to Tracey. "And that's what you have to do with other people's criticisms. You have to let them roll off, like water off a Psyduck's back, because in the end, only you can decide how you want to pursue your dreams."

Tracey nodded in silence, grateful for the advice even though he wasn't sure he believed it.

"Well," said Ash, yawning, "let's go to bed. We can see the rest of the festival tomorrow."

Pikachu in tow, the three of them started towards the common sleeping quarters, but Misty turned off just before they got there and headed towards the videophone. "I'll be there in just a minute," she said. "I need to make a phone call first. I was supposed to call my sisters today."

Normally Ash would have thought this was strange. Misty almost never called her air-headed sisters. But he was so exhausted that he didn't even acknowledge what she had said before he went into their quarters. Tracey, still depressed, also went into the room without saying anything.

Ash shut the door behind them, leaving Misty alone with Togepi in the corridor. She called out, "Good night," and waited for a response from either of them. But, receiving none, she simply sighed and shrugged her shoulders before proceeding to the phone.

*

Mack was bored.

He had just started his new job as a security guard at the Cloyster Pearl Jewelry Store in the business district of Satsuma City. For three nights in a row, he had had to walk around this stupid empty store, making sure that everything was secure. Of course everything was secure. The crime rate on the entire island was practically zero. It was a thoroughly mind-numbing job.

He shone his flashlight listlessly around the darkened store. Out of boredom, he was about to count the number of pearl necklaces on display for the fifth time that night when suddenly he heard a sound. A faint scraping sound, and it came from above.

Mack looked up, and his eyes opened wide.

The glass in the ceiling skylight was being slowly pried off. Mack watched, scarcely able to breathe, as the entire glass was lifted out of its setting. Then a dark figure appeared over the newly opened hole in the ceiling.

As Mack looked in surprise, a rope dropped from the skylight, and the figure lithely slid from the ceiling and down to the floor of the store.

The dark figure stood up and faced Mack. The intruder was human, short and light of build, and dressed completely in black from head to toe. A ninja-like mask covered the figure's face, and in the dark of the room, Mack couldn't tell anything about the thief's features.

_This guy doesn't look so tough_, thought Mack to himself. However, he wasn't about to take any chances. Keeping his eyes on the thief, he reached into his pocket and searched around until he found his pokéball. He felt very reassured having it. Most of the other security guards didn't even own a Pokémon. But Mack was fortunate to have received one from his brother-in-law, who had recently given up the trainer business. Mack was certainly no trainer, but at least he had the good sense to keep the Pokémon and take care of it, just in case he ever faced a situation like this.

He tossed the ball out, shouting, "Come on out, Geodude!"

The ball opened in a blaze of light. "_Geodude!_" the newly released Pokémon called.

To Mack's dismay, the thief also took out a pokéball and released it silently. The flash of light released by the newly materializing Pokémon was blinding in the darkness of the room, and it took a moment for Mack's sight to recover. Finally he could see again, and he looked up to find a spinning purple star with a rainbow-colored central gem hovering in front of him.

Mack was definitely not a real Pokémon trainer, and so he had no idea what the star-like Pokémon before him was. He had never been involved in a real Pokémon battle before, and he was nearly in a panic as he yelled out, "Geodude! Get that other Pokémon, whatever it is! Use Tackle!"

The Geodude charged straight towards the purple star, its stony body generating tremendous amounts of momentum almost instantly. The star Pokémon was ready, however, and it effortlessly darted out of the way. Mack's Geodude whipped around and came at its opponent again, building up to an even greater speed, but the purple creature dodged again, and the rock-type Pokémon once again missed completely, this time slamming into the far wall.

"Starmie, use Harden," the thief commanded. Mack thought that the thief's voice was unnatural-sounding somehow, as if it were being artificially altered. _He's probably using some contraption to disguise his voice_, he thought.

The star-shaped Pokémon complied with the order. Its body shimmered briefly in the dim light as its outer skin reinforced itself.

The Geodude charged at it again, and this time the Starmie held its ground. The Geodude slammed into the star Pokémon, but only managed to injure itself against the Starmie's now diamond-hard shell. Bits of rock crumbled off the creature's stony body as it went reeling.

"Water Gun," the intruder said. The Starmie instantly produced a torrential blast of water, hitting the rock Pokémon squarely in the back. "_Geodude!_" the stone creature wailed, as the force of the water blasted it all the way across the store to where it slammed brutally against the far wall. The water attack was too much for it, and it sank to the floor, unconscious.

Mack was now terrified. He turned to run, but the Starmie blocked his path and charged right at him. The last thing he could remember was the large, star-like creature barreling towards his face. Then there was only blackness.

After recalling the Starmie to its pokéball, the thief lost no time in scooping up some jewelry and stuffing it into a black bag before exiting out the front door. The black-garbed figure ran quickly down the dark street and turned a corner, meeting up with a blonde woman in pigtails and a man carrying an oddly shaped box.

"So what do you think?" asked the man.

The woman seemed very satisfied. "I think the subject is ready to start tackling the primary objective," was her reply.


	3. Chapter 3

Like Water Off A Psyduck's Back 

CHAPTER 3

Sunlight was streaming through the window as Ash strolled over to Misty's bunk.

"Come on, Misty, wake up!" he called.

Misty opened her eyes very slowly. Despite the night's rest, she was still extremely tired, and her head and limbs felt very heavy. "Ash?" she mumbled groggily. "Why are you up so early?"

"It's not early," the boy replied. "It's almost ten o'clock. Tracey and I have already had breakfast, and we've been waiting for you to wake up for the last half hour. When did you go to bed, anyway? I must have been asleep before you came in. Come on, if you don't get up now, we'll miss the festival entirely!"

"Okay," Misty acknowledged, sleepily. With enormous effort, the girl dragged herself out of bed. She felt dizzy and slightly nauseous from exhaustion. She couldn't believe how fatigued she was. Ash left her alone so she could get dressed.

Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were on their way to the beach boardwalk, where most of the festival activities were to take place. Ash and Pikachu led the way, grinning enthusiastically in anticipation of the day's events. Behind them was Tracey, who walked behind somberly. He was still depressed about Cympelton's comments from the night before. Finally, Misty brought up the rear, carrying Togepi and dragging her feet in exhaustion.

With the festival officially underway, the boardwalk was now packed with people. The booths that were empty the day before were now all manned, and they offered all sorts of water Pokémon accessories, toys, and paraphernalia. Other booths sold food, and still others featured games with prizes.

The sunshine, fresh air, and excitement of the festival finally managed to improve Misty's alertness and Tracey's mood. Grinning, the three of them strolled up to one of the game booths. It was one of those games in which the object was to shoot water into a plastic clown mouth to make the balloon on its head explode.

"Hey," declared Misty, as she scanned the booth counter. "There aren't any water pistols here."

"Of course not," replied the smiling man in the booth. "This is the water Pokémon festival. You have to use your own water-type Pokémon. Do you all have one?"

"You bet," replied Tracey. He pulled out a pokéball. "Go, Marill!" he called. The aquatic mouse materialized on the booth counter. "_Marill!_" it sang.

Ash pulled out his own ball. "I choose you, Squirtle!" The tiny turtle appeared in a flash of light. Pikachu climbed up onto the counter himself so that he could watch.

Misty brought out her pokéball containing Poliwag, but Psyduck chose that moment to pop out of its ball and sat vacantly in front of the girl. "_Psy?_" it quacked in confusion.

Ash was busy gauging the distance to the clown head and didn't realize that Misty had not released the Pokémon she had intended. "Okay," he said. "Everybody ready, get set..."

"Wait!" shouted Misty, "I'm not ready!" She fumbled with her pokéballs in an attempt to recall Psyduck while simultaneously releasing Poliwag.

But Ash was not paying attention. "GO!" he shouted, and Squirtle and Marill began shooting water into their respective clown mouths. By the time Misty had got Poliwag all ready, the boys' two balloons were already two-thirds full, and she only managed to get about half of her balloon filled before Ash's balloon exploded, Tracey's balloon bursting an instant afterwards. The two boys boisterously congratulated each other, completely failing to notice Misty fuming next to them. 

"I said, I WASN'T READY!" Misty growled irritably.

"Huh?" Ash said, apparently hearing Misty for the first time. "Oh, sorry, Misty. We'll wait for you next time." With that, Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu went on to the next booth.

Misty trudged behind the others sullenly. It's not as if she expected them to pay attention to her every minute, she thought to herself. But it seemed as if Ash and Tracey were so focused on other things that they sometimes forgot that she was even there. And this time they had just been rude. She didn't know why she was so angry about it all of the sudden. Maybe it was just because she was so tired. She felt better after getting a big pink cotton candy for herself, and the three of them proceeded to wander through the other booths on the boardwalk.

*

It was early evening by the time the trio left the festival grounds and wandered back to the Pokémon Center. Misty's exhaustion had really caught up to her by this time, and she dragged her feet grumpily while clutching Togepi, her eyes half closed. Tracey had returned to a serious mood, but he now had an appearance more of determination than depression. The day's festivities had given him a chance to clear his mind, so he could think clearly about his dream to be a Pokémon watcher and what he was going to do next with his life. 

It was very nice of Ash, and Misty, and Nurse Joy to have encouraged and supported him so much in this dream of his to be a Pokémon watcher. At least it was well intentioned. But it was clear to him that Cympelton knew what he was talking about, and there was no way that he was going to make it in the Pokémon watching business. The Magikarp incident showed it. He simply didn't have what it took. And the sooner he realized that, the better off he would be.

He decided that he would still accompany Ash and Misty through the Orange League competition. He had been with Ash for too long now not to see the boy through the final match on Pummelo. After that, he would part company with them. It would be too embarrassing for him to follow them all the way back to Pallet Town and meet Professor Oak now. He didn't think he could actually face the great academician anymore knowing that he had intended once to ask the man for an assistant's job. Maybe he would go back to Tangelo Island, he thought. He could probably find some kind of job there and settle down for a while.

Tracey nodded to himself. He felt a little better having a plan of action. He had only one more task, and that was the job of disposing of his drawings. His portfolio was pretty heavy, and he didn't want to have to lug it all the way back to Tangelo when he wouldn't be needing it anymore. Of course, Ash and Misty would try to stop him or to recover his drawings if they knew what he intended. He would have to wait for an opportunity where no one was watching so he could have a chance to do it alone, in private. Satisfied with his plan, he looked up and discovered that they were already almost back to the Pokémon Center.

Nurse Joy went up to them the moment they set foot in the center. "Ash, Misty, Tracey, I'm glad you came back," she told them. "I got a call from Officer Jenny. She wants you to go visit her at the police station as soon as you can."

Ash blinked in surprise. "Why? Are we in some kind of trouble?"

"Oh no, it didn't seem to be anything like that," the nurse responded. "I think she wants to tell you something."

Misty was ready to pass out from fatigue. Her eyes were red, her head hurt, and she was more than a little queasy. She mumbled, "If it's not something we all have to be there for, I think I'll just stay here and go to bed. I'm really not feeling very well."

Ash was brimming with curiosity about what Officer Jenny might have to say, and so he quickly replied, "Okay, Misty, why don't you get some rest. Coming, Tracey?"

Tracey hesitated, and then acquiesced. Disposing of his drawings could wait until later.

Pikachu climbed up on Ash's shoulder, and along with Tracey they went out towards the police station in the light of the setting sun.

*

Misty was completely worn out, and, after tucking Togepi carefully in bed, she collapsed on the mattress next to her egg Pokémon without even changing her clothes.

She slept, but despite her exhaustion it was not restful sleep. She tossed and turned restlessly in bed, and she was plagued by a strange dream. It was the second night in a row that she had had this dream.

In her dream, she was swimming in a large, clear pool. The water was cool and refreshing, and she found herself donned in her favorite red swimsuit. Having been born and raised near water all her life, she found this to be the most natural environment in the world, and she felt perfectly at home.

She stroked lazily on her back, enjoying the cool liquid sensation without a care in the world.

Until she touched something fuzzy with her right hand.

She gave an involuntary shudder, not just from the surprise of touching something, but also from _what_ she touched. Whatever it was, it felt fuzzy, but it wasn't warm and soft like an Eevee or a baby Pidgey. It was cold and slimy and with rough, fine little hairs. Clenching her teeth in dread, she turned her head slowly, very slowly to the right to see what it was.

It was a large Caterpie.

Misty let out a horrified, blood-curdling scream. She hated bug-type Pokémon. The redhead kicked violently at the water with both legs in an attempt to get away from the disgusting creature. 

Her screams and commotion, however, only served to attract the Caterpie's attention. It turned its head towards her, and promptly shot out a stream of sticky, gooey liquid that stuck to Misty's bare leg. The goo quickly solidified in the cool water and became a thick, strong silk line connecting the Caterpie to the girl.

Misty tugged at the heavy silk cable to remove it from her leg, but it was attached tightly. She began to panic as she realized that the Caterpie was starting to pull itself along the spun cord in her direction.

Misty pulled at the sticky rope with all her might. It started to pull away from her skin just a little, but wouldn't quite come loose. With another person to help, she could probably get it off. She looked around desperately for someone who could help her.

She noticed Ash, standing by the side of the pool. His back was turned, and Pikachu was next to him. "Ash! Ash! Help me!" she cried.

Ash didn't seem to hear her at first, but she kept calling his name until she got his attention. He turned around angrily and rebuked her, saying, "Misty, don't bother me now! I have to go and win another gym badge. Come on, Pikachu!" Huffily, he ran off with Pikachu in tow.

The Caterpie was crawling closer and closer on the silk line. It was only three feet away now. Misty turned her head in another direction and saw Tracey, working diligently with a pencil and sketchpad. "Tracey!" she called out. "Please help get this String Shot off me!"

Tracey, however, was too occupied. "Just a sec, Misty," Tracey replied absent-mindedly without looking up, as he concentrated on his drawing. "I've got to get the shape of that Caterpie's eye pattern just right."

The worm was getting close to her leg now, just over a foot away. Just then she noticed Brock standing next to the pool. He was her last hope. "Brock! Please, please help me!" she pleaded.

But Brock wasn't even looking in her direction. He was too busy gawking at a passing Officer Jenny. "Hello, Officer," he said dreamily. "Would you go out with me tonight?" There was no way Misty could get his attention. 

Misty wanted to scream, not just because of the approaching Caterpie, but also because all her closest friends, the people she thought of as her second family, they were all too busy to pay any attention to her whatsoever. They all had their own concerns, and they couldn't be bothered to attend to or even notice her anymore. Especially Ash, after all that they had been through together, through the entire Indigo League and the Orange Islands, how could he just ignore her so casually like this? Caught up in feelings of abandonment and loneliness, she began to cry. She sobbed her heart out, shedding large tears and wailing in a way that she would have thought was quite pathetic when awake.

Just then, she heard a raspy voice behind her. "I can help you," the voice said.

The redhead turned around and saw the talent agent from the other night, the one who had been talking to Cympelton in the convention hall. He was standing by the side of the pool, and held a large cylindrical cage, like a birdcage, that dangled from his hand. Inside the cage were a number of oddly shaped round objects.

Misty didn't know why the agent of all people would offer to help her, but she was too grateful to have caught anyone's attention to care. "Yes, yes, help me please," she begged.

"But you'll have to do something for me, first," the man said.

"Sure!" Misty promised, "I'll do anything!"

"Anything?" the man replied smugly. "In that case, I think we can work something out."

*

Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu walked down the quiet city streets towards the police station. It was dark by the time they reached their destination.

Officer Jenny met them once they entered. She had a police report in her hand -- something about a jewelry store theft, Ash thought he saw out of the corner of his eye. "You must be Ash and Tracey," she said. "My counterpart on Mandarin Island told me all about you."

"Yes, Officer," Ash replied. "Nurse Joy said you had something to tell us."

Jenny found chairs for the two boys, and then sat down herself before breaking the news. "I got word from Mandarin Island that Butch and Cassidy of Team Rocket have escaped!"

"They _did_?" Tracey asked, astonished.

"Yes," was the answer. "Apparently the police convoy that was transporting them to prison was attacked. A few police were injured, but thankfully no one was seriously hurt.

"In any case," Jenny continued, "since you were instrumental in their capture last time, we were debating the idea of getting you under police protection while we are tracking them down. We don't know if they have revenge as part of their plan."

Ash protested, "But that would mean we'd have to stay here! I have to go on to Pummelo to compete in the Orange League!"

Officer Jenny was about to debate the issue with Ash when the telephone on her desk rang. "Hold on a minute," she said gruffly, picking up the receiver. "Hello, Officer Jenny here. What!? Okay, I'll be right there." She hung up quickly, opened her desk drawer, and took out a pokéball.

"What's going on?" Tracey inquired.

"The convention hall is being attacked," Jenny replied as she ran out. "It looks like someone is trying to steal the Blastoise."

"Wait!" called Ash, as he and Pikachu ran after her. "We'll come along too!"

Jenny shook her head as she raced towards one of the police cars in an adjacent lot. "No, Ash, this is police business."

"But maybe we can help," Ash protested. He thought furiously for a moment. Then he reminded, "If you talked to the other Officer Jenny on Mandarin Island then you know how big a help we were to the police in the past."

Jenny admitted to herself that she could use the help of some good Pokémon trainers. She hesitated for an instant, and then nodded her head in agreement. "Get in," she said, while jumping into the driver's seat of the nearest car. "But don't put yourselves needlessly in any danger."

Ash, Pikachu, and Tracey dove in the back of the police car, which then roared out of the parking lot as if shot out by a cannon. It reminded Ash of his very first ride on a vehicle with an Officer Jenny, an eternity ago back in Viridian City. Gripping the front seat tightly, he wondered briefly if all the Officer Jennies were speed demons at heart. With siren blaring and tires squealing, the car raced down the dark road in the direction of the Satsuma Island Convention Hall.


	4. Chapter 4

Like Water Off A Psyduck's Back 

CHAPTER 4

"Should we contact Mr. Simpleton and tell him his Blastoise is being stolen?" Ash inquired, as he hung on to the front seat for dear life.

"Cym-PEL-ton," Officer Jenny corrected. "And we can't. He went to Valencia Island for the evening on Pidgeot Passenger Express. He's not expected back until tomorrow morning."

In just a few minutes, Ash could see the convention hall approaching rapidly from ahead. As they approached, he could see some figures lying still on the ground just outside the impressive marble building. His eyes grew wide as he realized that they were the security guards for the building. They were all unconscious and thoroughly drenched with water.

The police car screeched to a halt in front of the convention hall, and the occupants quickly jumped out of the car and raced into the back door of the building.

They entered a large, dimly lit, and very humid room near the back door. Since Cympelton kept neither his Blastoise nor his Magikarp in a pokéball, one of the rear chambers of the hall had been converted into an oversized terrarium for the water Pokémon. The smooth marble floor was covered with a clear plastic tarp, on which a collection of various plants, rocks, and small trees were erected to produce the appearance of a natural environment. The Magikarp, reflecting a beautiful rainbow of colors off its scales even in the low lighting, swam peacefully in its crystal clear tank against one wall.

Near the tank stood the Blastoise. The giant tortoise was unmoving and simply stood there with a blank, dull expression on its face. A small, silver disc, about the size of a quarter, was stuck to the Blastoise on its right shoulder. And between the Blastoise and the tank stood a dark figure with a ninja-type mask, short and light of build, and dressed completely in black from head to toe. The intruder was holding a second silver object, and was in the process of reaching into the tank to attach it to the Magikarp.

"Halt! This is the police!" shouted Officer Jenny, taking out her pokéball. She tossed it in the direction of the intruder, calling, "Go, Growlithe!" In a blaze of light, the canine Pokémon materialized, baring its teeth and growling fiercely at the black-garbed figure before it.

The figure paused, then silently countered with another pokéball. The ball cracked open, and a Starmie appeared.

Jenny's eyes opened wide for just a moment. "A dark figure with a Starmie," she mused. "Just like the police report on the Cloyster Pearl Jewelry Store thief. Well, you've just saved me the trouble of having to track you down. Growlithe, Flamethrower attack!"

The Growlithe opened its mouth and spewed out a blazing column of fire at its opponent. The Starmie was ready, however, and it spun around and easily dodged the flames, which instead incinerated a nearby palm tree.

"Starmie, use Water Gun," the thief commanded in an artificially modulated voice. 

The powerful jet of water shot from the Starmie hit the unfortunate canine dead center, knocking it back several yards into a tropical plant. The drenched puppy whined miserably as it struggled weakly to get back on its feet.

Ash thought things looked bad. _Whoever that guy is_, he thought, _his Starmie is well trained, and a fire-type Pokémon like Growlithe is no match for it._ He didn't normally like stepping into someone else's Pokémon battle, but it didn't look like Officer Jenny stood a chance without some help. He whipped out a pokéball, expanded it, and threw it out, yelling, "I choose you ... Bulbasaur!"

"_Bulbasaur!_" called the plant Pokémon as it appeared and faced its opponent.

"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed!" Ash ordered.

A small seed shot out of the bulb-like pouch on Bulbasaur's back and zoomed straight at the Starmie like a tiny red missile. The purple star dodged this way and that, but the seed was too fast for it. The tiny red pod caught up with its target, and, implanting itself in the Starmie's hard shell, instantly sprouted a matrix of vines and leaves that encircled the starfish Pokémon. The Starmie collapsed to the ground as the network of leaves, glowing and pulsing, sucked away the energy from its helpless victim's body.

Ash looked with satisfaction as the thief held out the Starmie's pokéball. "Starmie, return," the thief called. The star creature glowed red briefly before being dematerialized back into its ball. 

"Now," commanded Ash, "catch that thief with your Vine Whip." A strong, sinuous vine emerged from the grass-type Pokémon's body and snaked towards the intruder's wrist. The vine wrapped itself around the thief's arm tightly, forcing the small silver object from the dark figure's grasp. The shiny round piece bounced on the floor a few times and was lost in the dense terrarium vegetation.

Still silent, the thief brought out a second pokéball, and Ash readied himself for what might come next.

The dark figure tossed out the pokéball, and in a flash of light appeared a Psyduck.

Ash almost had to laugh. He had prepared himself for some threatening Pokémon, a Machoke maybe, or even a Nidoking. The last thing he had expected to be faced with was a little Psyduck.

"Psyduck, Confusion," the dark figure commanded. Ash's expression of amusement quickly turned into one of shock as the Psyduck started powering up, its eyes glowing with the intensity of a raging inferno. Behind Ash, Tracey and Officer Jenny instinctively backed up a few steps.

Bursting with power, the Psyduck suddenly released its mental energy in a violent psychic maelstrom that blew the two boys, Officer Jenny, and Pikachu off their feet and into the air. Ash had seen Misty's Psyduck use a Confusion attack before, but this was the first time he had been on the receiving end of one. His body was buffeted by the intense psychic energy as he flew backwards into a large bush. 

As he landed roughly in the dense foliage, Ash could see the Psyduck turn, pointing its rounded beak towards the wall on his right. The duck Pokémon's eyes glowed intensely once more as it directed its awesome psychic energies at the large vertical marble surface. With the force of a wrecking ball, the Psyduck's attack blew a large hole right through the wall, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the building. There was a clear view of the pier through the hole created by the telekinetic blast.

Bulbasaur had been hurled into a tree by the initial Confusion attack, and the thief had no trouble in getting free from the grass-type Pokémon's now loosely entwined vine. With surprising agility, the black-garbed figure gracefully climbed over the rubble and raced out the hole in the wall. The Psyduck quickly waddled behind its dark trainer, and, to everyone's surprise, the Blastoise also got up and lumbered after the thief, still with the same blank expression on its face. Sprawled on the ground, Ash could only stammer in bewilderment, "Wha - wha - why is the Blastoise following that guy?"

"I don't know," said Officer Jenny, getting to her feet and dusting herself off, "but we have to follow them! Come on!"

Ash stopped just long enough to recall Bulbasaur to its pokéball as he and Pikachu followed Officer Jenny and Tracey out the hole in the wall. The thief was running towards the pier, apparently planning to escape over the ocean. _Perhaps he's got a boat or something_, Ash thought. The thief had a good lead, and it didn't look like any of them would be able to catch up to the dark figure in time.

Out of nowhere a woman's voice rang out. "_Prepare for trouble!_" it said.

"Not again," Ash muttered to himself. The thief and Jenny stopped running and looked all around trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"_And make it double!_" came the accented response, this time a man's voice.

"_To protect the world from devastation!_"

"_To unite all peoples within our nation!_"

"_To denounce the evils of truth and love!_"

"_To extend our reach to the stars above!_"

"_Jessie!_"

"_James!_"

"_Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!_"

"_Surrender now, or prepare to fight fight fight!_"

"_Me-owth, dat's right!_" finished a third voice triumphantly.

Team Rocket was standing on the pier with their usual flamboyance. "Well, well, well," Jessie declared in an amused voice as she eyed the black-garbed figure. "It appears that someone else has gone and tried to get the Blastoise before us."

"Yes," James agreed, with a snicker. "It's almost too bad that he went through all that trouble only to have to deliver the Pokémon to us." His voice took on a threatening tone as he reached the end of his sentence.

"Hand over da Blastoise," Meowth ordered, "before someone gets hoit."

The dark figure paused only for a moment before continuing on silently, apparently in complete disregard of Team Rocket's threat. The Psyduck and Blastoise began to follow in turn.

Jessie was incensed. "How dare you ignore us without even a response!" she snarled. Throwing out a pokéball, she yelled, "Arbok! I choose you!"

There was a blinding flash as the snake Pokémon materialized. "_Chaaa..._" it hissed in eager anticipation.

James tossed out a ball of his own. "Go, Victreebel!" he called.

The plant Pokémon came into existence and, as usual, immediately grabbed James' head. Arbok was ready, however, and confidently charged at the thief with full force.

The thief barely stopped to look at the new threat, but instead turned to the Psyduck and commanded, "Psyduck, use Disable."

The Psyduck's eyes glowed intensely blue as it stared at the oncoming Arbok. The charging snake Pokémon took on a expression of surprise as it suddenly began slowing down, losing momentum little by little until it stopped completely, falling stiffly to the ground in front of the Psyduck with a heavy thud. Jessie, with a chagrined expression on her faces, recalled her now paralyzed Pokémon. Meanwhile, James finally took control of his own situation, sucking Victreebel back into its ball without a battle.

Meanwhile, Officer Jenny was taking advantage of the diversion provided by Team Rocket to catch up to the thief. She had almost reached the Blastoise when the dark figure gave a final command: "Psyduck, Confusion!"

Jenny instinctively pulled back as the ground seemed to explode right in front of her. Ash gasped as he realized that the Psyduck was directing its psychic attack at the terrain around it. Around the Psyduck in a perfect circle, the earth was being forcibly lifted from the ground and thrown into the heavens as if sucked by some invisible vacuum in the sky. The thief, Psyduck, and Blastoise stood perfectly calmly as grass, rocks, and soil erupted and flew into the air all around them. 

Like the ripples from a stone in a pond, the circular region of psychic destruction began to expand, stretching outwards over the surface of the ground and ripping it to shreds at successively greater distances. A small bush to the left of the Psyduck was completely uprooted and thrown into the air, tearing itself to bits in the process. In another area, an underground water main burst under the intense psychic energies, causing water to gush out of the soil.

"_Pi - ka - chu!_" cried out Pikachu in alarm.

Officer Jenny backed up as the psychic wave expanded over the landscape. Right beside her, a large rock emerged from the ground and shot skywards as if shot by a catapult. She turned and yelled out to Ash and Tracey, "Run for it! Head towards the pier!" before heading in that direction herself. She sprinted around a lamppost, which cracked and fell over in a shower of sparks behind her as the pursuing wave of destruction passed through it a second later.

Ash and Tracey ran as fast as they could, Pikachu following closely behind. Ash pulled his cap snugly over his forehead in an attempt to keep the dirt and small pebbles that rained on them out of his eyes. He glanced back just for a moment and saw that the destructive wave was no more than ten yards behind and gaining on them rapidly. Jenny and the two boys rushed forward at full speed onto the pier and passed right by Team Rocket, who stood dumbfounded in the middle of the wooden structure as the oncoming wave passed through a tree in the park. Several branches split off, and the tree was denuded of leaves, which were ripped off their stems and scattered around in the air as if caught in a tornado.

The psychic wave continued expanding as it reached the connection point of the pier to shore. Large planks of wood tore themselves from the connected end of the pier and hurled themselves upwards, and the entire structure began to sag into the water. Tracey almost lost his footing, but Ash grabbed onto his arm, and the two of them kept running. Officer Jenny reached the end of the pier, saw that there was nowhere else to go, and promptly dived headfirst into the ocean. Ash couldn't think of any better ideas, and he jumped off the pier as well, with Tracey and Pikachu following in turn.

Meanwhile, the still expanding telekinetic wave was methodically obliterating one plank after another as it made its way towards the end of the pier. Jessie, James, and Meowth, still in the middle of the pier, simply stood in shock, unable to do anything but watch the oncoming destructive fury overtake them as it kept creeping closer and closer. Just as the wave was nearly on them, James shouted out reflexively, "Team Rocket's blasting off again..."

James' premature wail snapped Jessie into action. "NO!" she screamed, suddenly pulling herself together, "I said, NO MORE BLASTINGS!!" In the last second before the psychic maelstrom was on top of them, she grabbed James forcefully by the arm and Meowth by the tail. With the strength and determination of an Amazon, she dragged them both bodily to the edge of the pier and threw them into the water before jumping in herself. She had just barely leapt off the last plank of the pier before the wave disintegrated it entirely.

Now underwater, they could all see the destructive wave launch great sprays of water from the upper layer of the sea as it tore over the ocean. They dared not surface while the wave was passing overhead, so they continued to hold their breath and wait. Finally, the awesome psychic energies were exhausted, and with lungs bursting, they all came up for air. Ash took out a pokéball and released his Lapras, and he, Tracey, Jenny, and Pikachu all climbed up on its back. They were all sopping and thoroughly exhausted from running. Meanwhile, James and Jessie, still holding on to Meowth by his curling tail, swam over to the Magikarp submarine. It had been hidden underneath the pier and was in miraculously good condition despite the demolition of the structure above. 

"Wait a minute!" Officer Jenny barked at the Team Rocket members. "Come back here!"

"Why?" asked Jessie with a smirk as she tossed a bedraggled Meowth into the sub, and she and James climbed inside. "We didn't do anything wrong. It's that guy in black who stole the Blastoise."

"That's right," rejoined James. "And he's probably long gone by now, too bad for you."

"So long, twerps," taunted Jessie, as she started to close the submarine hatch door. "Team Rocket's NOT blasting off this time." The two Team Rocket agents laughed derisively as the hatch slammed shut. Ash and the others could only watch as the sub paddled off and disappeared under the surface of the water.

The Lapras floated over the few yards to shore, and Ash climbed off his aquatic Pokémon onto the land. Pikachu sat comfortably on Ash's shoulder as water dripped from his clothes. They were amazed at what they saw.

The convention hall looked bad enough, still sporting a gaping hole in one wall. But the ground between the hall and what was left of the pier looked like a war zone. The entire terrain was uprooted and covered with rubble. Water was still gushing out of the broken main. Not a single park bench, bush, or even blade of grass was left standing. The only exception to this was a small circular area, about ten yards across, where the thief, Psyduck, and Blastoise had been standing when the Confusion attack had been initiated. It was the one place in which the ground was perfectly intact. And as James had predicted, the thief and Blastoise were nowhere to be found.

Tracey had climbed off of Lapras' back by this time as well, and he stood next to Ash to survey the damage. "I can't believe it," Tracey declared. "I saw it myself and I still can't believe it. I've never seen a Psyduck capable of such a powerful attack."

Officer Jenny stood behind them, examining the landscape with a sigh. She would have a really big police report to write tomorrow morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Like Water Off A Psyduck's Back 

CHAPTER 5

"Misty?"

"Mmmrhhh," mumbled the motionless figure, entirely buried underneath the covers.

"Misty!" called Ash again. He poked her blanket with his finger. Tracey stood next to the bed on the other side.

The night's rest had done nothing to improve Misty's condition. If anything, she was worse off than the day before. Her head was literally pounding, and the morning sunlight pierced her eyes painfully.

"_Pi - ka?_" whispered Pikachu sympathetically, as he climbed onto the bed to try to comfort her.

"Ash," she croaked through a dry throat, "I still feel really awful. I think I've come down with something. Why don't you and Tracey go on to the festival without me today?"

"Misty, the festival is closed," Ash replied. "Someone stole Mr. Simpleton's Blastoise last night."

"What?!" the redhead cried as she sat up in her bunk in surprise. She instantly felt dizzy, however, so she immediately flopped back down on the mattress. "And it's pronounced Cym-PEL-ton. What happened?"

"We were there with Officer Jenny when it happened," Tracey recounted. "It was a lone thief in black with a really powerful Psyduck. Whoever it was, he got away with the Blastoise and caused several thousand dollars worth of damage to the city."

"That's terrible!" Misty declared, her eyes tightly shut to keep out the light. "I hope they find who did it."

"Anyway," Tracey continued, "we just came to let you know that we're going down to the police station again to make a statement for the police report."

"Okay, see you later," the girl replied weakly. 

As the others left, Misty turned over and pulled the covers over her head again. The throbbing in her skull was a little more tolerable without the sun in her eyes. The commotion woke up Togepi only briefly, and it chittered dreamily for a few seconds before falling asleep again peacefully.

*

Jessie was on top of the world. She pedaled the mechanical propulsion system of the Magikarp sub with untiring strides, powering the vessel almost single-handedly. James and Meowth pedaled much less vigorously behind her. "What did I tell you?" she gloated. "With some real will and determination on our side, we avoided getting blasted away!"

James rubbed his sore arm, which had been nearly wrenched out of its socket when Jessie grabbed it to throw him off the pier the night before. "Yes, Jess, but couldn't your determination be a little less ... excruciating?"

"Stop whining!" Jessie rebuked. "It's time to put our heads together and come up with a plan to steal the twerp's Pikachu!"

"Da Pikachu?!" Meowth said in bewilderment. "But I thought we was stealin' da Blastoise."

"Don't be ridiculous, Meowth," Jessie replied. "The Blastoise has already been stolen. The important thing is that now we have the key to success. Resolve and determination will be our path to victory. It's already prevented us from being blown away last night!"

James cringed to himself. This didn't sound like much of a path to him. "But, Jess..." he started to protest.

"No more arguments!" the redheaded Team Rocket agent shouted. "Get back to pedaling!"

There was no point in trying to talk Jessie out of this. James sighed and went back to propelling the sub.

*

Ash's throat was getting hoarse. For what seemed like hours, he and Tracey had recounted the events of the previous night over and over again, each time to different sets of police investigators. Each group of investigators had asked detailed questions about both the dark intruder and the theft, apparently in the hopes of garnering some piece of information that the others had missed. They also asked the two of them about their time on Mandarin Island, which Ash found very puzzling.

Finally, they were done, and Ash, Pikachu, and Tracey went out to find Officer Jenny. They found her at her desk, sitting calmly but with a stony expression as a red-faced and very infuriated Alistair Cympelton stood in front of her.

"I'm warning you, Officer," threatened the water Pokémon trainer, "I brought my prize Pokémon to this island and went to Valencia last night with the explicit assurance from the Mayor that they would be made safe and comfortable. If my Blastoise is not found immediately, I'll see to it that you're out of a job and that the Mayor is removed from office!" Several veins began bulging from his forehead.

"Please calm down," Officer Jenny replied, managing to keep her professional demeanor. "I assure you, Mr. Cympelton, the police force is doing everything it can to find and recover your Blastoise..."

"If it hasn't been found already, they're not doing enough!" Cympelton bellowed. "Listen to me. I arranged last night for Professor Ivy to come from Valencia to see both the Blastoise and Magikarp tomorrow morning. If the Blastoise is not recovered by the time she comes, it will be a major embarrassment for me, and _that_ will be a big problem for YOU!" He suddenly noticed Ash and Tracey behind him. "And what are THOSE two doing here?" he demanded.

"They're witnesses to the theft," Jenny answered.

"That's right," Ash piped in. "And don't you worry. I'm sure the police will be able to find your Blastoise, Mr. ..." Ash's sentence was cut off abruptly as Tracey quickly clapped a hand over Ash's mouth, successfully preventing the younger boy from mispronouncing the name again.

Cympelton didn't even bother to acknowledge Ash's comment as he stormed out of the police station. He paused at the door, turning back to Officer Jenny, and said, "You had better find my Pokémon, Officer. It'll be your hide if you don't." The water Pokémon trainer continued out, slamming the door behind him.

Jenny took a deep breath to relax herself, and then she turned to Ash and Tracey. "Are the investigators all done?" she asked them.

They both nodded.

"Congratulations," she said grinningly, "you survived. I'm sorry that you had to go through such a long process, but I was really hoping that you had seen some detail that I missed.

"Since you're here," Officer Jenny continued, "I'd like to show you something that you might find interesting." She reached into her desk and took out a small silver disc, about the size of a quarter. "This is the object that the thief was holding when your Bulbasaur forced it out of his grip." She announced, holding the object so that they could see.

"What is it?" Ash inquired.

"According to the police lab, it's a hypnotic transceiver," the officer replied.

"A what?"

"Hypnotic transceiver," Officer Jenny repeated. "Apparently, when you attach this device to a Pokémon, it acts as a conduit for focused hypnotic energy, such as the kind that a psychic Pokémon would generate. A Pokémon wearing this transceiver would be particularly susceptible to a Hypnosis attack, from a Drowzee for instance, and could be placed completely under the control of the Drowzee's owner."

Ash was a little lost in all the technical description, but fortunately Tracey caught on. 

"I see," the older boy said. "So the Blastoise last night was under mind control because it was wearing one of these things, and that's why it was following the thief."

"That's right," exclaimed Jenny.

"But I don't get it," Ash protested. "The thief we saw last night didn't have a Drowzee."

"That's true," replied the officer. "We think that the real criminals behind all this were probably hiding elsewhere, maybe far away, and using some kind of amplifier to enhance the power of the Hypnosis attack that they were producing. They might have been controlling the Blastoise like a puppet from miles away. It's good thing we arrived at the convention hall before the thief attached this device to the Magikarp as well, otherwise we'd have two Pokémon missing instead of just one. We've now relocated the Magikarp to a police safe house for protection."

"Who would do such a thing?" Tracey wondered.

"Well," said Jenny, "there's only two people we know of that ever used any kind of machinery to amplify hypnotic energy."

Tracey knew whom Jenny was talking about right away. "Butch and Cassidy," he declared.

"Right again," said Officer Jenny. "You two saw them yourselves, on Mandarin Island. We've started an exhaustive search for them here on Satsuma."

Ash thought for a moment. "But the thief we saw was too small even to be Cassidy, and he _definitely_ wasn't Butch."

"That occurred to us, too," the officer replied. "Unfortunately, it seems like Butch and Cassidy have a new, third partner, someone to carry out all the dirty work. While we might catch the thief, it'll be difficult to track those two down since they never actually show up at the crime scene.

"In light of what's happened," Jenny continued, "I insist that you accept the police protection we talked about last night. If Butch and Cassidy are really on this island, there's no telling what they might try to do to you two and Misty."

The expression on Ash's face was enough to tell that he was dead set against the idea, but it didn't look like Officer Jenny was going to let him go this time. Reluctantly, he nodded his assent.

"Good," Jenny said with satisfaction. "I'm relieved. I'll feel better knowing you three are safe at least." Just then, the phone on her desk rang. "Hello, Officer Jenny here," she said as she held the receiver to her ear. "Oh, yes, Mr. Mayor. I'll be there right away." Hanging up, she told them, "I have to see the mayor and discuss the Blastoise crisis. I want you two to stay here at the station." She started out the door and, as she was leaving, added, "I'll arrange for a car to pick up Misty at the Pokémon Center, and then we can take all three of you to the safe house." With that, she hurried off.

Ash sat down in a chair in the lobby of the station. It was clearly going to be a long wait. Pikachu sat on the chair next him and settled down for a nap.

Tracey paused for a moment, as if he were trying to decide something. Then he started towards the front door of the station. Seeing Ash's quizzical look, he said simply, "I'm going to take a look around the outside of the building. I won't go very far."

Tracey walked outside. It was already early evening, and the fabulous pinks and reds of the tropical sunset were already beginning to fill the sky. He made his way around the building to the back. Behind the police station was an alleyway with a large dumpster. It cast a long shadow over the ground in the light of the setting sun.

This was perfect, he thought. He'd been looking for a spare moment to dispose of his art portfolio ever since he had decided to do so last night. He now had an opportunity, and no one was around. Everything was just right.

And yet, he found himself unable simply to toss his drawings in the large bin. He knew it was what he wanted to do, what he _had_ to do in order to get on with his life. There was no point in lugging the heavy portfolio around anymore, a reminder of how silly this phase of his life had been. But the task was strangely difficult, and he was filled with reluctance.

Steeling himself, he decided that he would take a last look at each of his drawings before throwing them away. Maybe all he needed was one last look, for some closure.

He took out his most recent drawing, the unfinished sketch of Cympelton's shiny Magikarp. Seeing it only brought to mind the painful memory of his conversation with the great water Pokémon trainer. Throwing this one away would not be so difficult. He crumpled it up and tossed it into the large dumpster.

He reached in for the next drawing. It turned out to be the one of Misty's Psyduck. Tracey smiled to himself as he saw the sketch, which perfectly captured the creature's vacant expression and extremely rounded beak. He started to crumple this drawing too, when suddenly he stopped.

Scarcely remembering to breathe, Tracey examined the drawing closely, his eyes opening wider and wider as a sudden realization dawned. Quickly, he picked up his portfolio, shoved the Psyduck sketch back inside, and raced back into the police station at full speed.

"Ash! Ash!" he exclaimed as he burst in the door. "Take a look at this!"

Ash had been dozing off in his chair, and he and Pikachu gave a sudden start as they awoke. "What's up, Tracey?" Ash demanded.

Dashing up to Ash, Tracey held out his picture for the younger boy to see. "This," he declared, "this is the Psyduck we saw last night!"

Ash looked at his companion with a puzzled expression, as if he couldn't decide whether or not Tracey had been out in the sun too long. "Uh, Tracey," he said, as gently as possible, "that's a picture of Misty's Psyduck."

"That's my point!" Tracey exclaimed. "The Psyduck we saw last night was Misty's Psyduck! They're the same Pokémon!

"Look," he said, while tracing out the shape of the beak in his drawing. "The roundedness of the beak is unmistakable, and so is the spacing of the eyes. I'm telling you, this is the Psyduck that attacked us in the convention hall." Thinking a moment more, he added, "And the thief...the thief had the same height and build as Misty, too!" His eyes opened wide. "Ash," he asked timidly, "do you think that Misty is the thief?"

Suddenly, he clapped a hand to his forehead. "Oh, what was I thinking?" he declared in disgust. "Misty doesn't own a Starmie. Here I am accusing our friend of theft and I overlooked that obvious fact." _I'm such an idiot_, Tracey thought to himself. _Just goes to show that Cympelton was right about me._

But Ash didn't seem to think it was idiotic after all. He pondered the situation for a moment before replying, "Maybe it's not so obvious. Let's find a phone, Tracey."

There was a videophone down the hall, and Ash ran up to it. He pressed a button to connect the line.

"This is the operator," a voice said. "How may I direct your call?"

"Cerulean City Pokémon Center, please," Ash requested.

He waited a moment as the line rang. When it connected, Ash found himself facing a lovely blonde girl with a flower in her hair and a clipboard in her hand. It was Daisy.

"Like, hello, this is the box office for the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City in their production of _The Magical Mermaid_. We are taking ticket orders for, like, starting in November," Daisy recited in her most professional voice.

Ash wasn't particularly interested in the show, but Daisy's last sentence took him by surprise. "November!" he exclaimed. "That's four months away!"

"Well, for sure," the blonde replied in her perfect valley girl accent. "We are like, totally booked up until then." Her eyes opened in surprise as she saw who was on the line with her. "Oh, it's you!" she declared. "The boyfriend."

Ash took a deep breath. Apparently, Misty's sisters still held the notion in their vacant skulls that he was Misty's boyfriend. He really couldn't imagine how Misty and those other girls could have been born from the same parents. "I'm actually not calling about tickets," he said very slowly, to make sure that Daisy didn't miss anything. "I was just wondering if Misty asked to borrow her Starmie back from you guys in the last few days."

Daisy gave a look of exasperation. "Well, yah," she replied as if the answer should be obvious. "Helloooo, didn't she, like, tell you? And tell the little runt to give it back soon. Like, she promised to have Starmie back to us before our big show tomorrow. Don't let her forget, 'kay?" All at once, some squeals and laughter could be heard off to the side. Daisy turned her head to see what was happening and exclaimed, "Oh, Lily, that is like the most TOTALLY awesome shade of hot pink nail polish! Oh let me see it!" Turning back to the phone for the briefest second, she muttered, "Uh, bye Ash," before disconnecting the call.

Ash wasted no time. He headed straight for the door, grabbing Pikachu on the way out.

"Hey, wait!" yelled Tracey. "Where are we going? And shouldn't we let Officer Jenny know we're leaving?"

"There's no time," Ash shouted back over his shoulder as he made his way down the street towards the Pokémon Center. "Misty would never steal Pokémon unless she was being forced to somehow. We have to find out what's going on so we can help her!"

Breathlessly, Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu raced down the city streets, now grayed in the gloom of the approaching night. They burst into the Pokémon Center, ran to their quarters, and dashed up to the bunk where Misty had been sleeping.

It was empty.


	6. Chapter 6

Like Water Off A Psyduck's Back 

CHAPTER 6

"Do you really think your Venonat can find Misty?" Ash inquired as he jogged behind the fuzzy purple bug.

Ash, Tracey, and Pikachu were following Tracey's Venonat as it searched throughout the city, rapidly scanning up and down alleys and streets one by one in an attempt to find their female companion. The sun had set nearly an hour ago by now, and only Venonat's sensitive radar-like eyes could penetrate the increasingly dark shadows creeping over the land.

"It's our best bet right now," Tracey replied. "We don't have any idea where she is otherwise."

Ash slowed down just long enough to nudge Togepi more comfortably in his backpack. Wherever Misty had gone, she had left the little egg Pokémon behind. Ash didn't feel right about leaving it alone, and so he had carefully placed the tiny creature in his backpack for safekeeping.

As they raced around a corner, Venonat peered into a darkened side alley and stopped suddenly. It turned around to face Tracey and jumped up and down excitedly. "_Venonat! Venonat!_" it called out.

"What is it, Venonat?" Tracey asked. "Is it Misty?"

Ash went into the alley to investigate. There was a motionless figure lying in the middle of the path, obscured in the shadows. Ash couldn't see who it was, but the person was too tall to be Misty. He poked the figure, who then stirred and groaned before painfully sitting up.

It was Officer Jenny.

"Officer Jenny, what happened?" Ash cried out.

Rubbing her head, Jenny groggily replied, "It was the three of them, Butch, Cassidy, and that thief clothed in black. They ambushed me on the way back from the mayor's office.

"I couldn't see much in the dark. All of the sudden, Cassidy was right in front of me and the thief was grabbing me from behind by the neck. Butch was off to the side, holding some object. I don't know what it was, it looked kind of like a large briefcase.

"I tried to resist, but I couldn't move. The thief had me held pretty tightly, and somehow my muscles were locked in place and just wouldn't respond. Cassidy demanded to know where the shiny Magikarp was hiding, and for some reason I couldn't prevent myself from telling her. It was as if my voice had a will of its own, and told them everything they wanted to know."

"It sounds like they were using the same kind of hypnosis on you that they used on the Blastoise," Tracey observed.

"I think so too," Jenny agreed, "but the effect only lasted during the time the thief had a hold of me. Once I was let go, I could move my body freely again, but Cassidy knocked me out and left me in this alley."

"Ash," Tracey said suddenly while turning to his companion. "Do you think Misty is doing what she's doing because she's under mind control, too?"

"That's got to be the reason," Ash replied. "Officer, where is this safe house?"

"It's at the other end of town, near the east wharf," Jenny told them. As Ash and Tracey jumped up to hurry off, she called out, "Wait! Where are you going?"

"To the safe house," Ash yelled behind him as he, Tracey, and Pikachu ran off to the east. "We have to save the Magikarp, and Misty, too!"

"Misty? What does she have to do with this? Stop! It's too dangerous..." Jenny shouted, her voice training off at the end. It was no use. Ash was too stubborn to wait for the police. She tried to get up, but found she was still a little woozy from her encounter with the Team Rocket members. She would have to catch up with them when she could.

On a nearby rooftop, a woman with long, curling red hair watched Ash and the others through binoculars as they ran down the dark street. Grinning in anticipation, she turned to her blue-haired companion. "It's time to get to work," she said.

*

The safe house containing the shiny Magikarp was a small, inconspicuous building next to an abandoned bookstore looking over an old wharf on the east side of the island. The interior of the house was clean but very plain, with old, gray furniture arranged in a practical but uncreative fashion around the walls. An old broken refrigerator, open, empty and unplugged, squatted in one corner. The occupants of the house had apparently decided to make do without a refrigerator by storing drinks and snacks in a large opened ice chest, which sat near the door. Various bottles and cans poked halfway out of the mounds of glistening ice cubes within the chest.

Against the rear wall was the crystal tank containing the shiny Magikarp. The lovely Pokémon swam serenely in its clear enclosure, while its scales flashed in the light to reveal every color of the rainbow. The dazzling array of hues reflecting off the majestic fish contrasted sharply with its drab surroundings.

Four very edgy police guards were stationed inside the house. They had all heard about the destructive power of the thief and Psyduck from the night before, and so they all stayed alert, and spoke to each other in quiet, subdued voices.

A fifth guard was gazing out over the quiet, moonlit ocean when he first saw it. It was far away, and it looked like a tiny speck as it approached over the water. The guard brought out his binoculars to get a better look.

It was a speedboat, racing over the surface of the sea towards the island. In the front of the boat was a short, slim figure dressed entirely in a black ninja-style outfit, and behind the figure were two other people, a blonde woman in pigtails and a man with a greenish tint to his hair. The latter two wore black uniforms with a letter "R" insignia on them.

The guard sounded the alarm. This was the moment they had been waiting for. The other guards scrambled together just as the little speedboat pulled up to the old wharf.

The occupants of the boat seemed not at all concerned about the police. The green-haired man raised his hand, and, on this signal, a Blastoise leapt out of the water next to the boat and landed deftly on the top of the wharf. 

It was Cympelton's Blastoise.

The giant turtle, its mind fully under the control of its captors, looked straight ahead with dulled eyes. The tiny silver transceiver, still attached to the Blastoise's shoulder, was functioning perfectly and continued to channel the powerful hypnotic influence that had taken over the Pokémon's brain.

The blonde woman in the speedboat stood up. Throwing her head back, she triumphantly proclaimed in a loud voice, "_Prepare for trouble!_"

"_And make it double!_" rejoined the green-haired man.

"_To infect the world with devastation!_"

"_To blight all peoples in every nation!_"

"_To denounce the goodness of truth and love!_"

"_To extend our wrath to the stars above!_"

"_Cassidy!_"

"_Butch!_"

"_Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!_"

"_Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!_"

"_Rrrrrrraticate!_" shouted Cassidy's Raticate, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

The guards had never heard anything quite like the Team Rocket motto before, and it left them too bewildered to do more than look at each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. A couple of the guards had the presence of mind to pull out their pokéballs, but before they could release them, Butch barked out in a raspy voice, "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

They never stood a chance. The barrage of water from the Blastoise came down on the guards like a flood, sweeping them off their feet and knocking their unopened pokéballs out of their grip. The flood of water carried the men away down the street to a nearby sewer hole, over which they piled up, unconscious. The remaining water swirled and spiraled around their motionless bodies as it drained away through the grate beneath them.

Now unopposed, the black-garbed thief and Cassidy climbed up onto the wharf to join the Blastoise. Butch picked up what appeared to be a round birdcage from the speedboat and carried it with him as he followed the others onto land. Inside the cage was a cluster of Exeggcute. The six units of this collective organism were hooked up to a series of wires that attached to a small control panel and transmitter dish on the top of the cage, and they jumped around inside their enclosure in a lively manner. 

"Are you sure this is a good idea, for us to come here in person instead of just sending this one?" Cassidy asked, referring to the dark figure next to them.

"We have to," Butch replied. "If we still had the second transceiver, we could just have our ninja friend here attach it to the Magikarp. But now we have to steal it the old-fashioned way, and we have to be here to direct things closely if there are any surprises like at the convention center."

The three of them, with the Blastoise following closely behind, strode confidently into the safe house. No one was left to stop them.

The Magikarp immediately caught their attention, as it stood out brilliantly from its drab environment. The two Team Rocket members paused briefly to admire the dazzling appearance of the beautiful fish. 

"_'Karp...'karp ... Magikarp..._" the Magikarp repeated, in the same vacuous, insipid voice common to all members of its species.

Cassidy shook her head at the fish Pokémon. "It may be beautiful, but it's just as stupid as the rest," she commented.

"Never mind how smart it is," replied her green-haired partner. "Let's just take it."

"Not so fast," said a voice behind them. They turned around to look.

It was Ash. He, Tracey, and Pikachu had run clear across town, and they stood at the doorway, puffing slightly but with determined looks on their faces.

Ash gave them a stern glance. "Let the Blastoise go," he ordered. "And let my friend Misty go too."

"Well, well, well," mused Cassidy, with an evil grin on her face, "if it isn't the kid with the Pikachu who messed up our plans on Mandarin Island." She turned to the dark figure next to her. "He knows who you are," she said. "You might as well remove that mask."

The figure peeled the mask off slowly to reveal a girl's face with aqua eyes and a head of orangey-red hair pulled to a ponytail on one side.

It was Misty.

As she pulled off the voice modulator she had been wearing under the mask to disguise her voice, Ash also noticed something else he had not seen before. On the back of Misty's neck, just under the base of the skull, was attached a small gold disc, about the size of a quarter. It had been concealed under her hair, but the modulator pulled her hair out of the way just enough for him to notice it.

Cassidy observed Ash staring at the disc, and grinned maliciously. "Wondering what that is, kid?" she asked. "It's a gold transceiver. It's just like the silver transceiver that went on the Blastoise, but this one can control the mind of a human, as well as the minds of the Pokémon in that person's possession."

"That's right," added Butch. "With those transceivers to channel the psychic energy, and the hypnotic amplifier attached to the top of the cage," he said, pointing to the birdcage hanging from his arm, "this cluster of Exeggcute here is enough to control the minds of the Blastoise, your friend, and all her Pokémon through her. We're even able to control any other human whom the girl is holding on to. That's how we were able to get the location of the safe house from Officer Jenny."

Tracey had been listening to this whole conversation carefully. He finally commented, "But the one thing I don't understand is why Psyduck's Confusion attack is so powerful."

Cassidy answered, "Well, since there's no way you can stop us, I might as well tell you. The transceivers produce a few side effects on the people who wear them as well as on the Pokémon they possess. The effects include headaches and fatigue. You probably saw those side effects on your friend here. It wouldn't surprise me if she has been too tired for the last few days even to stand up straight. I'm sure the extra headache has been enhancing the Psyduck's usually pathetic psychic powers.

"Now if you'll excuse us," she continued, "we have a fish to catch." She turned to Misty and commanded, "Misty, go get the Magikarp now."

Moving like a mindless automaton, Misty proceeded towards the Magikarp's tank. Butch and Cassidy kept a close eye on Ash, watching for any moves he might make.

"Don't do this, Misty," pleaded Ash. "Come on, fight the mind control. I know you can do it. It's me, Ash. I owe you a bike, don't you remember? And we've been together all through Kanto and the Orange Islands. Come on, fight it. I know you can do it."

Misty continued to the tank without even slowing down. Cassidy laughed scornfully. "What corny television shows have you been watching, kid?" she ridiculed. "Get real. This is state-of-the-art mind control equipment. Your pathetic pleading is going to get you nowhere."

Cassidy was right. Misty was deep under the Exeggcutes' influence, and nothing that Ash could say would affect that. And he couldn't risk getting too close to her, lest she grab him and control his mind also. She was almost to the tank now. Ash whipped out a pokéball and tossed it. This was his last resort, and he hoped that it would work the way he imagined.

Butch started towards him, but the pokéball was already in the air. As it came down, Ash shouted, "I choose you ... Snorlax!"

The ball cracked open, and the amorphous radiance within immediately started increasing in size as it spilled out. It kept growing and growing until it reached the ceiling. "_Snorrrrrrr - lllllllllax,_" the materializing Pokémon grumbled, as it seemed to fill the whole room with its gargantuan mass. A few ceiling tiles fell down as the top of Snorlax's head nudged them.

Butch stopped dead in his tracks. This definitely was not what he had expected.

Ash commanded, "Snorlax, cover over the Magikarp tank with your body."

The slothful Pokémon complied. It carefully set its enormous body over the crystal-clear glass and rested its weight against the wall above. Its torso completely covered the front of the tank, while its heavy dangling arms draped over the tank sides. Snorlax carried out its operation so delicately that the tank itself was under no stress, yet it was covered completely. Now resting comfortably, the gargantuan creature settled down for a pleasant nap. Misty stopped right in front of the giant beast. There was no way she could get to the Magikarp now.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" snapped Cassidy impatiently. "Go and blast that overweight thing away with your Psyduck."

With zombie-like obedience, Misty produced a pokéball and threw it out. Psyduck appeared in a blaze of light, eyes flashing with intense psychic power. "Psyduck, Confusion!" Misty called, this time in her real voice.

Psyduck released its whirlwind of psychic power towards Snorlax. All of Snorlax's fur stood straight out, each hair separately pulled by the intense energies. Several floor tiles were uprooted and hurled themselves up, dashing themselves to fragments on the ceiling. Snorlax lifted off the ground just slightly, and then settled back gently down to the earth. Psyduck tried again and again to raise Snorlax from the floor, but the power of the Confusion attack was simply not enough to budge the ponderous weight of the giant beast's enormous frame. The gargantuan creature stirred only briefly before falling into slumber once more.

"Fine," declared Butch angrily. "This doesn't stop us at all. It may be too heavy to lift, but we can use the Blastoise to knock it out of commission." He turned to the Blastoise, but before he could issue a command, the room suddenly filled with choking clouds of black, noxious smoke.

Everyone began coughing. Ash had to wipe away the tears from his eyes before he could see that the smoke was pouring into the safe house from the outside through the open front door. The source of the smoke was a Weezing, and just behind it, Ash could just barely make out the silhouettes of two laughing humans and one Meowth.

Jessie strode in the room with an air of brash confidence. Resolve and determination, she thought, that's all she needed to show, and they would be all right. Her expression changed abruptly from one of self-assurance to one of horror as the swirling clouds of the Weezing's smoke began to dissipate and she could see who was in the room with her. "It's you!" she hissed as she saw Cassidy.

"And you!" hollered James, looking at Butch. "Botch!"

"That's _Butch!_" retorted the green-haired man indignantly. "_Butch!_ Can't you get that straight, you moron?"

Jessie quickly regained her composure. "I'll deal with you later," she spat at Cassidy. "Right now, I have a Pikachu to catch." She threw out a pokéball and shouted, "Go, Lickitung!" As the odd pink Pokémon appeared in a flash of light, Jessie commanded, "Go capture that Pikachu!" The Lickitung had apparently caught on to Jessie's newfound confidence, for it faced its electric opponent with a determined fierceness that James had never seen before.

Pikachu charged up his body, but the Lickitung's tongue shot out like lightning. The long, sticky appendage struck the electric mouse right on his head, leaving its paralytic saliva all over his fur. "_Pi - ka ..._" Pikachu groaned weakly, as he fell over stiffly, his body rigid as a board. The electric charge stored in Pikachu's body drained away uselessly into the linoleum-tiled floor beneath him.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled in horror. 

Meowth shook his head in amazement at what Jessie had done. "I never t'ought I'd see da day when Jessie beat da twerp in a Pokémon battle." James nodded in agreement.

Jessie was elated. She had beaten the Pikachu! Her newfound determination truly was their key to victory. She didn't know why they hadn't thought of this sooner. She was reaching over to grab Pikachu's stiffened body and to stuff him inside a small burlap sack when she was startled by a new voice behind them.

"Just what do you think you are doing with _my_ Blastoise!" the voice boomed.

Ash turned. "It's Mr. Simpleton!" he exclaimed.

"Cym-PEL-ton," everyone else chorused in unison.

Butch muttered in disgust, "What kind of a safe house is this, anyway? Isn't there anyone on this island who _doesn't_ know where it is?"

"Well, of course I was told where my own Magikarp was being kept," Cympelton retorted disdainfully. With stern eyes, he looked straight at his Blastoise and commanded, "Blastoise, come here this instant."

The giant turtle didn't move. Cassidy laughed in derision.

"You're almost as pathetic as the kid here," she declared. "It's too bad we got the girl instead of you at the reception the other day. You seem like you would have been amusing to have under our control."

At Cympelton's puzzled look, Butch added, "Don't you remember? I was at the reception posing as a talent agent. I was about to put the gold transceiver on you when we shook hands, but the redhead here got in the way and I ended up putting it on her by accident."

"Fortunately, she turned out to be a good Pokémon trainer, so we've been able to make decent use of her," Cassidy said. "But now that you're here, I think we'd rather have you." She turned to the Blastoise and ordered fiercely, "Blastoise, go and bring Cympelton to Misty."

The Blastoise leapt into the air, bearing its massive frame aloft as if it were as light as a Hoppip. It swooped down on the now speechless Cympelton, grabbing the water Pokémon trainer and carrying him back to where Misty stood.

"Now grab him," Cassidy ordered Misty. The redhead caught Cympelton by the back of the neck and held tightly. Ash could see the distinguished trainer's jaw go slack and his eyes stare straight ahead as the hypnotic effect from Misty's transceiver began to take effect. It was only seconds before Cympelton was completely under the Exeggcutes' mind control.

Cassidy grinned in satisfaction. This was going even better than they had planned. "Cympelton," she ordered, "have your Blastoise get rid of the other Team Rocket."

In a dazed voice, Cympelton called out, "Blastoise, use Water Gun."

Jessie had just finished cramming Pikachu into the sack when the gigantic tortoise turned on her and her two companions. The Blastoise planted its left foot firmly on the floor as high-pressure water burst forward at the Team Rocket members from its twin mounted cannons. James and Meowth screamed in panic, but Jessie's determination held strong. "I SAID NO MORE BLASTINGS AND I MEANT IT!" she hollered in defiance. Dropping the sack, she grabbed her two teammates each by the collar and deftly ducked under the liquid blast aimed at them. Jessie gritted her teeth as torrents of water passed just over their heads, while James and Meowth hid their faces and whimpered pitifully. 

The blast of water was finally expended, and Jessie looked up to see a gaping hole in the wall behind them where the Blastoise's attack had blown right through the side of the safe house. She picked James and Meowth up, one in each arm, and dragged her whole team out of the house through the newly formed escape route. She regretted having to leave Pikachu behind, but she knew there would be other chances. Lickitung and Weezing lost no time in following close behind.

"Why did you bother with them for?" asked Butch.

Cassidy smiled. "I wanted to see if our control of Cympelton would be good enough to control the Blastoise through him. Since he's the Blastoise's real trainer, he should be able to command it even better than we can." She turned to Cympelton once more. "Have your Blastoise get rid of that Snorlax," she commanded.

Ash's mind was racing. Snorlax couldn't very well take on the Blastoise and protect the tank from Misty and Psyduck at the same time. And Pikachu was still unable to fight. He needed another Pokémon to battle the Blastoise. 

Suddenly it came to him. Of course! He had one clear option. He pulled out a pokéball and threw it, calling, "I choose you ... Charizard!"

The ball burst open, and the air grew noticeably warmer as the fire-breathing dragon filled its entire end of the room. Charizard roared fiercely, shooting flames in all directions in a showy display of fiery might. A few more ceiling tiles, charred and smoking, fell around them.

Charizard's menacing demeanor left even the self-assured Cassidy a little intimidated. "What do you think?" she asked Cympelton.

The water Pokémon trainer, deep under hypnosis, was unable to resist answering Cassidy's question truthfully. "My Blastoise has never been defeated in battle, and a fire-type Pokémon such as Charizard doesn't stand a chance," he said in a monotone.

"Excellent," the blonde Team Rocket member replied. "Have your Blastoise get rid of that Charizard. You are under our control, and I command you to conduct this battle to the best of your ability. We'll deal with the Snorlax after that." Turning to Ash, she sneered, "It's payback time for Mandarin Island."

Tracey, a serious expression on his face, remarked, "Remember how you wanted to have a Pokémon battle with Cympelton, Ash?"

Ash nodded. 

"Well, it looks like you'll get your chance after all," Tracey said grimly.


	7. Chapter 7

Like Water Off A Psyduck's Back 

CHAPTER 7

Charizard and the Blastoise faced each other. They stood like two titans poised for war, each gazing unflinchingly in the other's eyes. The air was thick with tension as the two powerhouses prepared to square off.

Ash decided to make the first move. "Flamethrower!" he called out.

"Water Gun," countered Cympelton immediately, still in a hypnotic daze. Charizard shot out a column of intense flame at its opponent, but the Blastoise, its left foot firmly planted, responded instantly with a powerful jet of water from one of its attached cannons. The water sizzled in mid-air as it met with the oncoming fire and vaporized into billowing clouds of steam.

Pikachu, his yellow head poking out of the burlap sack, witnessed the battle being waged in front of him and cursed at his own helplessness. He tried to move a paw. It moved, but stiffly. He would need a few more minutes before he recovered completely from Lickitung's paralytic attack.

Fire and water, each in an unrelenting stream, continued to collide with each other for several minutes, neither side gaining any ground. Slowly, however, Charizard's attack began to weaken, and the water began pushing the flame back towards the fire-type Pokémon. The Blastoise appeared completely untiring, and the current of water it produced was unremitting. Charizard took a step back and shot forth fire with all its might, but the merciless blast of water continued to advance until it forced the flame all the way back and began spraying into the fiery-orange lizard's mouth. Charizard shook its head to free itself from the liquid blast, coughing and spluttering huge clouds of vaporized steam.

Ash was astonished. He had never seen any Pokémon do that to his Charizard. And the Blastoise's Water Gun attack looked nearly as powerful as his own Squirtle's Hydro Pump. He had to take action quickly. "Charizard, use Dragon Rage!" he called out.

The air grew unbearably hot as an intense ball of fiery destruction began to form in front of the giant lizard. Charizard focused all of its might and energy into the inferno before it, and with a mighty roar, hurled the burning sphere full force at the Blastoise. As the fireball rushed towards the giant turtle, flaming sparks shot out of it in every direction, charring the walls and taking down a few more ceiling tiles.

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump," ordered Cympelton. The Blastoise planted its foot firmly and shot forth an astounding volume of water. It looked as if a tidal wave had suddenly appeared in the room. Charizard's fireball drove straight into the oncoming wall of water and exploded, sending clouds of steam and droplets of heated water everywhere. The remaining fragments of ceiling were blown straight off, and billows of steam rushed out through the hole in the roof. Everyone was drenched as warm water rained down on the whole interior of the nearly demolished building.

The Dragon Rage attack had scattered most of the Blastoise's Hydro Pump, but the remaining liquid continued sailing directly towards Ash's Charizard. The fiery orange lizard was soaked completely as torrents of water splashed over it, and it staggered painfully as the flame on its tail sputtered and smoked for a few seconds before igniting again.

This was serious. Cympelton's Blastoise was still fresh, and it didn't look to Ash as if Charizard could take another drenching like that. He could see now why the Blastoise had never been defeated. He had to think of something quickly or Charizard would lose for sure.

Tracey, meanwhile, was watching the battle intently to the side. He gasped with a sudden realization, and his eyes opened wide. Just at that moment, he observed something about the Blastoise that he had not seen before. A weakness that maybe Ash could exploit. He opened his mouth to speak, and then shut it again without saying anything. _No, it's too obvious_, the boy thought to himself. _Surely another one of Cympelton's many opponents would have noticed something like this by now. My idea probably won't work after all._

A flash of light in the corner of Tracey's eye caught his attention, and he turned involuntarily to glance at it. The light was coming from Misty's Psyduck, which was glowing with psychic energy as it tried unsuccessfully to move Snorlax with its telekinetic power. He watched as the remaining droplets of water from the Hydro Pump attack came down on the duck Pokémon's body, only to bead up and roll off without wetting its skin. Like water off a Psyduck's back...

And suddenly it clicked. Maybe it was because of the visual cue of the Psyduck in front of him, he didn't know, but all of a sudden he understood what Nurse Joy had been trying to tell him the other night. He now realized, not just intellectually, but deep down, how much he had taken Cympelton's criticisms to heart, and believed them to the point where he no longer believed in himself. Maybe, just maybe, his idea had merit after all. It was risky, but it looked like Ash was going to lose for sure otherwise.

He ran over quickly and stood beside his friend. "Ash!" he exclaimed. "The Blastoise always plants its left foot in the ground before firing its water jet. It's dependent on that leg in order to withstand the recoil from its own water cannons. That's its weakness!"

Ash turned to the older boy with a surprised look. "Are you sure?" he asked.

Tracey paused for the briefest instant, and then with a look of certainty, he nodded in confirmation.

Ash whirled around, looking for a way to take advantage of this new information. He suddenly spied what he was looking for.

"Charizard!" he yelled. He pointed at the ice chest in the corner, still filled to the brim with drinks and moist ice cubes. "Throw this at the Blastoise's feet." 

Charizard was puzzled, but did as its trainer commanded. It scooped up the chest with one sweep of its mighty reptilian wing and hurled it at the ground it front of the giant turtle. The chest split apart upon impact with the floor, sending the little ice cubes all over the place around the Blastoise's legs.

"Now," Ash ordered, "do a Seismic Toss."

Cassidy snickered as Charizard leapt forward at its opponent. With the Blastoise's quick reaction time, there was no way that the fire Pokémon would get to its opponent before getting another dousing.

Cympelton called out in a dazed voice, "Blastoise, Water Gun." The enormous turtle planted its left foot firmly and fired off another colossal volley of water.

But this time, things happened differently. Some half-melted ice cubes had gotten trapped under the Blastoise's ponderous foot, and the giant turtle unexpectedly found that it had insufficient traction on the smooth tiled floor. The water-type Pokémon slipped and fell over backwards from its own recoil, and the blast of water shot straight up into the air, missing Charizard completely.

Cassidy gasped in surprise as Charizard swooped down and picked up the giant turtle in one fluid motion. It flapped its wings with all the remaining strength it had as it struggled to clear the building through the gaping hole in the roof. It had performed a Seismic Toss on a Poliwrath once and once on a Magmar, but never before on anything this heavy. Straining and pulling against gravity, the fiery lizard finally got the required speed to loop around in a dizzying array of aerial barrel rolls. Finally, hurtling back towards earth like an oncoming missile, the fire-breathing dragon released its thoroughly disoriented opponent at the last instant before sailing back upwards into the sky.

The Blastoise slammed into the ground headfirst with the force of a bomb, and a huge cloud of dust and pebbles flew up into the air. The impact shook the earth itself, and the last remaining walls of the safe house collapsed to rubble while everyone grabbed on to something to keep balance. The dust finally cleared to reveal the Blastoise, sprawled on the ground and unconscious.

Ash was ready to jump for joy. Charizard flapped its wings and landed next to its trainer, letting forth a mighty roar before collapsing in exhaustion.

Butch cursed. The kid with the Pikachu had beaten them again. "Misty, let the old man go," he called. "We're getting out of here!"

Misty released Cympelton, who collapsed unconscious on the floor in an ungainly heap. She quickly recalled her Psyduck, and followed Cassidy and Butch, the latter still holding onto the Exeggcutes, as they took off and fled towards the wharf.

Ash took barely a moment to recall both Snorlax and Charizard to their pokéballs. Satisfied that the Magikarp was still safe in its tank, Ash turned to Tracey and yelled, "Get medical help for Mr. Simpleton. I'm going after them!"

Tracey started to protest, but the younger boy was already running to the wharf. Pikachu had finally recovered from the paralytic attack he had received earlier, and he crawled out of the sack and chased after Ash as fast as his four tiny legs would take him.

Ash arrived at the wharf just in time to see the speedboat zoom away from the water's edge. Not wasting an instant, he pulled out a pokéball and threw it into the water, calling, "I choose you ... Lapras!"

Lapras materialized in a flash of brilliance, and Ash and Pikachu jumped on. "Catch up to that speedboat!" Ash yelled. Lapras set off, gliding over the ocean waves at full speed.

Lapras was fast, but the speedboat was very powerful, and try as it might, the transport Pokémon was unable to gain ground. Slowly but surely, the vessel carrying the Team Rocket members got further and further away from Ash, and there didn't seem to be any way to catch up. He pressed Lapras to go even faster, and the aquatic creature pushed itself to the limit, cutting powerfully through the waves like a jet ski.

In his haste, Ash didn't notice the periscope, which had emerged from the Magikarp submarine hidden under the waves and had poked out of the surface of the sea a few yards behind him. A pair of intensely blue eyes watched him through the scope.

"Look, James," Jessie pointed out, turning her head from the periscope to face her team partner. "The twerp is chasing Butch and Cassidy, but can't catch up to them."

"Really?" asked James, as he stretched forward to take a look through the scope. "Maybe we'll have another chance to catch the Pikachu."

"Yes, but it's too bad that he won't be able to get that blonde pig-tailed cow first," Jessie remarked, referring to Cassidy. "I'd almost let the Pikachu go for now just for a chance to see the twerp get those two losers."

Upon hearing this, Meowth suddenly perked up. "I gotta idea on how we can do both at da same time," he declared proudly.

"You mean, we can both catch the Pikachu _and_ crush Butch and Cassidy, all at once?" Jessie inquired hopefully. It sounded almost too good to be true.

"Dat's right!" the cat Pokémon confirmed, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Is it risky?" James asked.

"Don't worry so much, James," Jessie chastised. "Meowth will provide the ideas and I will provide the determination."

James cringed.

Meowth began, "Here's da plan..."

*

Ash watched as the speedboat became a tiny dot disappearing over the horizon. He wanted to cry out in frustration. Butch and Cassidy were getting away, and they had Misty with them. He clenched his fists in anger, and then gave a start as a large, red, metal object emerged out of the water in front of him. It was the Magikarp sub.

"This is all I need," Ash muttered. He was about to command Pikachu to blast the sub away when the hatch on top opened and a waving white flag poked out.

The flag was pulled back into the sub compartment, to be replaced by the faces of Jessie and James, both with innocent smiles on their faces.

"Okay, twerp," Jessie said to him, "here's the deal. You're trying to stop the other Team Rocket and so are we."

"That's right," James added. "In case you haven't noticed, they're not exactly our friends either. I think we're in a position to help each other."

"Help each other?" Ash repeated suspiciously, as he stood up on Lapras' back to face the Team Rocket members. "How?"

*

"Okay, dat should do it," Meowth said a few seconds later, as he finished attaching the final wire to Pikachu's yellow body. 

They were now all inside the Magikarp sub. Meowth took a step back and admired his handiwork. Pikachu was now electrically connected with nearly a hundred different wires to the submarine propulsion, in place of the now defunct battery attachment. "Now dat electric rodent o' yours can be da power source for da sub. Wit' Pikachu at full power, we should be able ta go faster than yer Lapras -- even faster dan dat speedboat o' deirs!" the talking cat announced proudly.

"_Pi - ka?_" said Pikachu, timidly. He was a little uncomfortable being all wired up in this way.

"Er," said Ash, looking at the dense tangle of wires confining his electric-type Pokémon. It looked more like an overgrown forest of Tangelas than a well-engineered electrical connection. "Are you sure that all those wires are necessary?"

"Yes, indeed," James reassured. "We need them to make sure that your Pikachu is held firmly in place and can't esca -- I mean, and makes a solid electrical connection."

Jessie took the steering controls for the sub, and gave a thumbs-up signal.

Ash was still a little skeptical, but he decided it was the only way to catch up to Butch and Cassidy. He turned to the entangled Pikachu, and commanded, "Okay, buddy, Thundershock."

Pikachu charged up his body up to the limit. "_Pi - ka - chuuuuuu!_" he shouted, as he channeled his electrical energy into the propulsion system. The Magikarp sub gave a rough jolt, and then took off through the water like an out-of-control torpedo. Ash was briefly plastered to the rear wall as the sub accelerated, going faster than it had ever gone before.

"Okay, okay, dat's enough!" Meowth shouted to the electric rodent as he watched a panel indicator closely. "Any more juice and ya'll overload da electrical system and blow us ta smithereens!" Pikachu carefully cut back the supply of electrical current as the sub continued to roar under the waves.

Jessie kept a steady hand on the controls as the submarine zoomed through the water. She gritted her teeth to show the depth of her resolve. As long as she possessed true determination, she thought, they could get that blonde cow and get away with the Pikachu, all without being blown away.

The boat carrying Butch, Cassidy, and Misty once more came into view as the sub caught up with it. Jessie, grinning like a madwoman, steered the sub on a direct collision course with the rear of the speedboat.

Butch stood in the back of the boat, scanning the horizon behind him. There was no sign of anyone, and they had crossed into international waters a few miles back. That meant that they were safely outside the jurisdiction of Officer Jenny. He was just about to relax when he suddenly saw a massive shape rise up out of the depths right behind them. "What the -- ?" he shouted.

There was a horrible crunching sound of metal against metal as the sub smashed straight into the aft of the speedboat. The Magikarp sub was crushed on one side, and an eye was missing, while the speedboat motor and rudder were totally demolished. The two vehicles were locked together and dead in the water.

Ash got up and shoved open the hatch. Without losing a second, he climbed out of the sub and jumped down on the speedboat to face his opponents. Pikachu tried to follow but found that he couldn't free himself from the tangle of wires enclosing him. "_Pika!_" he shouted to Ash. But the boy didn't hear.

Jessie faced the captive yellow Pokémon and leaned forward, her maliciously grinning face right in front of Pikachu's, and said, "Oh no, my little electric Pokémon. You're not going anywhere."


	8. Chapter 8

Like Water Off A Psyduck's Back 

CHAPTER 8

Ash surveyed the situation as he faced the Team Rocket members and his brainwashed friend. Butch and Cassidy were each standing on one side of the hypnotic amplifier, at the opposite end of the boat, while Misty stood in the middle, halfway between Ash and the amplifier.

Ash had to get to that amplifier. It was the only way to get Misty back.

He brought out a pokéball and tossed it, shouting, "I choose you ... Bulbasaur!" The little green Pokémon materialized in an instant.

Misty countered by releasing her Psyduck. The headache that was a side effect of the hypnosis was having its influence, and Psyduck's eyes blazed with intense psychic energies.

"Use your Vine Whip to get that amplifier!" Ash ordered.

The plant creature's slender vines stretched out towards the Exeggcute cage. Misty yelled, "Psyduck, Confusion!"

Bulbasaur's vines never made it. With a rush of psychic energy, Bulbasaur was hurled off the boat and into the sky. "_Bulba...!_" it screamed.

As Bulbasaur splashed into the sea, about twenty yards away, Ash pulled out another pokéball and released Lapras. "Go get Bulbasaur and make sure it's okay," Ash told the aquatic creature.

Lapras set off, and Ash turned back to face Misty and Psyduck again. This was definitely going to be more difficult than he thought.

*

Pikachu tugged and pulled at the nest of wires attached to him. He had gotten maybe a half of them free, but he still wasn't able to go anywhere.

So far, Jessie, James, and Meowth were too occupied to notice his attempts at freeing himself. Meowth's plan had been simply for them to use Pikachu's electric abilities to catch up to the speedboat and then to sneak away with the electric mouse while the twerp was busy fighting Butch and Cassidy. It was this last part of the plan that was giving them some difficulties as they tried frantically to get the sub in motion again.

"Why aren't we moving, James?" Jessie demanded angrily.

James fiddled with the controls some more, then finally said in resignation, "We're stuck, Jess. The electrical system now has plenty of power, but the drive shaft is broken again."

Jessie was incensed. "What do you mean, broken?" she screeched. "I thought you fixed it on the last island we were on."

"Well, yes," James admitted, "but not _that_ securely. I didn't know at the time that we were going to plow the sub into something."

"Well, what are you standing there for?" Jessie shouted. "Get to work fixing it!"

"Hey, how do we know dat da Pikachu won't try ta overload da electrical system wit' a Thundershock attack?" Meowth asked, while James took out the tools.

"Don't be silly, Meowth," Jessie muttered. "The Pikachu would blow itself up too if it did that. Focus on more important things, like helping James fix the drive shaft."

"And whaddare you gonna do while da two o' us are workin'?"

"Why, I'll be the one to show the resolve and fortitude," she replied loftily, and proceeded to grit her teeth and to assume a determined facial expression.

Meowth muttered something under his breath and turned to the drive shaft, while Pikachu quietly pulled out two more wires. Only about fifty or so left to go.

*

"Squirtle, Hydro Pump!" Ash yelled.

Squirtle retracted its head and legs and sent out spiraling blasts of water at Psyduck. The duck Pokémon, still a powerhouse of psychic energy, telekinetically scattered the torrents of water with ease. Psyduck countered with yet another Confusion attack, and Squirtle cried out in alarm as it went flying.

The little turtle splashed into the ocean waves about thirty yards away. Ash knew that Squirtle would be all right in the water, but he was now in a bad position. Of his six Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Lapras, and Squirtle were now away from him, Charizard was too exhausted from the battle with the Blastoise, and he couldn't release Snorlax, lest he sink the boat. And he had no idea where Pikachu was.

He now backed up to the edge of the boat as Misty and a glowering Psyduck advanced upon him. Butch and Cassidy grinned maliciously. Ash had nowhere to go and he was defenseless.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Ash and his expression brightened. He reached into his backpack and gently pulled out the little sleeping Togepi inside. He shoved the egg Pokémon towards Misty, and the tiny creature woke up at that instant, smiling happily as it saw her. "_To - ge - briiiiiiii!_" it chirped merrily at its adoptive mother.

Misty stopped dead in her tracks. Even in her brainwashed state, her maternal protective feelings for Togepi resonated deep within her. She hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"What are you waiting for?" Cassidy yelled furiously. "Blast him away with that duck of yours!"

But Misty couldn't move. Despite the power of the Exeggcutes' hypnosis, she could not bring herself to harm Togepi. She stood transfixed, unable to act. Butch cursed under his breath and turned to the hypnotic amplifier. There was a control on the device that he could use to set the device at full amplification. At this setting, there was a risk of brain damage to the subject, but there would be no more hesitation from Misty. Just complete and unquestioning obedience.

Pikachu detached another wire from his body, and he discovered that he was loose enough to break free. With a burst of adrenaline, he pulled away from the remaining tangle of connections and jumped out of the Magikarp sub. A single leftover wire was still attached to his jagged tail and trailed after him as he ran. Like lightning, he flew down to the speedboat and dashed across the boat straight towards the Exeggcute cage, and so unexpected was his sudden appearance that no one was prepared to stop him.

"Good job, buddy!" yelled out Ash, still holding Togepi out in front of him. "Now do a Thundershock!"

Pikachu landed on the cage and charged up his body. "_Pi - ka - CHUUUUUU!_" he shouted, as searing electricity coursed through the cage, the Exeggcutes, and the hypnotic amplifier. The Exeggcutes screamed, and various charred electronic components shot off the amplifier in every direction. Misty gave a sharp squeal of pain as a flash of light appeared briefly on the back of her neck, and the gold transceiver, smoking and useless, fell harmlessly to the deck of the speedboat. The girl and her Psyduck both collapsed, finally relieved from the strain of the Exeggcutes' hypnotic influence.

Pikachu's body still contained a considerable amount of residual electric charge, which now drained away on the single wire still connected to his tail. The wire carried the remaining current back into the Magikarp sub, where it merged into the already overtaxed electrical system.

James had just gotten the drive shaft nearly under control when sparks and smoke began suddenly flying all about them.

"What's happening?" Jessie cried out in alarm, as several of the sub's systems began to catch fire.

Meowth looked around. "It's just like I was warnin' ya, da Pikachu overloaded da electrical system wit' its Thundershock attack!" he yelled.

"But that's impossible!" the redheaded Team Rocket member protested. "As I said, it would blow itself up too if it did that ... hey, where is the Pikachu, anyway?"

"Er," said James. He was looking through the periscope and saw Pikachu out of the sub and on top of the now defunct hypnotic amplifier. The electric Pokémon was in the process of disconnecting the final wire still attached to his tail. James commented dejectedly, "I don't think the Pikachu is too worried about blowing itself up."

"NO!" screamed Jessie, as the cabin began to fill with smoke. "I DO NOT ACCEPT THIS! I SAID NO MORE BLAST-" was all she got out before the sub exploded.

Jessie, James and Meowth looked down at the rapidly receding dot that was the speedboat as they made their all-too familiar trip towards the stratosphere.

"So much for not getting blasted away," James commented despondently.

"So much for determination," Jessie added mournfully.

"Well, look on da bright side, Jimmy boy," Meowth said as he looked down at the unsalvageable wreckage that was all that was left of the Magikarp sub. "At least ya don't hafta worry about fixin' dat drive shaft no more."

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAINNNNNNnnnnnnnnn ..." they called out, before vanishing in a sparkle in the distance.

Butch and Cassidy took no notice of the sudden departure of their rival team. They snarled as they faced Ash and pulled out their own pokéballs.

Butch was just about to throw his pokéball when suddenly a light green blur flashed in front of him and the ball was knocked out of his hand with a loud clang. Cassidy asked, "What happen-" but stopped short as the green blur knocked her pokéball out of her hand, too, additionally cutting off one of her pigtails in the process.

The two Team Rocket members froze in place, utterly transfixed by the sudden appearance of two razor sharp steel blades whose dagger-like tips poked into them firmly, one in each of their chests. Before them stood Tracey's Scyther, a wild look in its eyes and saliva dripping eagerly from its mandibles. "_Scy - ther!_" it screeched at them, and it looked fearlessly in both of their eyes as if to dare them to move. It was a dare that they did not take.

"Ash! Are you okay?" shouted Tracey from behind. He was riding behind Officer Jenny on a police jet ski and holding tightly onto her waist to avoid falling in the water.

"Yeah, Tracey," called out Ash laughingly. "You're just in time."

Butch, still not taking his eyes off of Scyther's sharp blade, shouted as defiantly as he could, "We're in international waters now, copper. You have no authority to arrest us, so call off your green bug here."

Officer Jenny smiled. "You're right that I have no authority to arrest you on the high seas," she said. "But I don't have any authority over the Scyther, either. You see, it isn't mine. It belongs to Tracey, over here." She pointed at the boy behind her for emphasis.

"So," the officer continued, "since I can't arrest you and you're not requesting to be towed back to shore, I have no option but to leave you here." She began to turn the jet ski back towards the island.

Cassidy, her single remaining pigtail hanging awkwardly on one side, grimaced as the giant green bug's blade poked a quarter inch deeper into her sternum. "Officer," she finally declared, scarcely daring to breathe, "I think we'd like to be towed back to the island, please."

Officer Jenny grinned as she took out a pokéball. She released it and an enormous Seaking appeared on the surface of the water. It was at least six feet in length and looked like it weighed at least a hundred pounds. "_Seaking!_" the huge creature bellowed. Jenny put a harness on the giant fish and attached the other end to the damaged speedboat. The Seaking immediately started heading back towards Satsuma Island, effortlessly towing the boat behind it. Scyther, blades at the ready, glowered at the Team Rocket members the entire trip back.

Half an hour later, they were all back on shore. More than a dozen police cars, their lights flashing, surrounded the little party as they made their way back onto the wharf.

Ash looked on attentively as two paramedics delicately placed Misty's unconscious form on a stretcher and carried her into a waiting ambulance. "Will she be okay?" he inquired anxiously.

The paramedic paused briefly to look at him. "We took her vital signs and they look strong. I think she'll probably be just fine, but they'll check her out at the hospital just to be sure," the paramedic replied.

Meanwhile, Butch and Cassidy, securely in handcuffs, were led up the ramp into the back of a police van. "We're tripling the usual security this time, and arming the police guards with several different kinds of Pokémon," Officer Jenny explained to Tracey. "They won't be getting away this time. It's too bad we weren't able to do anything about that other Team Rocket, though."

Just before Cassidy was forced inside the van, she glanced to the side and noticed the old abandoned bookstore next to the wreckage of what was left of the safe house. Inside the storefront window was an old Pokémon fortune telling book, apparently left behind when the bookstore owner closed up shop.

Seeing the little book gave Cassidy an idea, and she grinned to herself in anticipation. It was only a matter of time before they would be free again, and she already knew what their next venture would be.

*

Misty's eyes opened, very slowly, and found the faces of Ash and Pikachu looking back at her. She was in a bed, and they were in a small, white, antiseptic-looking room.

"_Pika pika!_" Pikachu exclaimed, happy to see her awake.

"Where am I?" she asked groggily.

"Satsuma City General Hospital," Ash replied. "The doctor said that you need to stay here for observation overnight, but that we should be able to go on to Pummelo as early as tomorrow. Do you remember what happened?"

The girl blinked a few times as she tried to remember. "I remember something about Butch and Cassidy, and that somehow they had control over my actions and I did evil things for them. They made me steal jewelry, and Cympelton's Blastoise, and tried to get me to steal the shiny Magikarp, but you and Tracey stopped them. 

"Oh, Ash," she added regretfully, "I'm so sorry that I attacked you and your Pokémon."

Ash laughed. "Don't worry about it, Misty," he reassured her. "You had no control over your actions at the time. It was Butch and Cassidy's fault. But Officer Jenny said they'd be behind bars for a good long time this time. Oh, I almost forgot. Here's Togepi," Ash added, handing the little egg Pokémon to Misty.

As Togepi cuddled in Misty's arms, chirping happily, she asked, "Where are my other Pokémon, Ash?"

"At the Pokémon Center, with Nurse Joy," came the reply. "They're all fine, even Psyduck. Only now that the hypnosis is gone, Psyduck can't remember being able to use such a powerful Confusion attack."

Misty smiled. "I guess it's back to being plain old Psyduck," she mused. As she settled back into bed, she inquired, "Where's Tracey?"

"At the Water Pokémon Festival," Ash answered. "Now that Mr. Simpleton's Blastoise is back and the Magikarp is safe, they're having the last day of the festival today."

"Cym-PEL-ton," Misty corrected, with a tone of exasperation. After a pause, she added, "And I suppose you're going to leave me now and go join the festivities." She tried to be matter-of-fact about it and not sound like she felt left out.

"Uh, well, actually, I was going to stay here and keep you company," Ash said.

"You WERE?" Misty exclaimed. "You mean, you're going to spend time with me and not go off and polish your badges, or eat hors-d'oeuvres, or squirt water in one of those clown mouths with a balloon attached to the top?" She was surprised and very pleased.

"Uh, no," Ash replied, blinking. "I polished my badges just the other day. And I wasn't going to eat anything. I'm not even hungry right now." He couldn't understand where all this was coming from and was very confused. He wondered if maybe this was why the doctor wanted to keep her in the hospital overnight.

Misty was a little embarrassed that she had been babbling. She forced herself to calm down, and replied tranquilly, "Well, okay, thanks, Ash." Looking around, she added, "But what are we going to do? It's not exactly that exciting here in a hospital room."

"Well," the boy replied, "I noticed that the hospital has a little video library for the patients. There was only one video left, so I took it without even seeing what it was." He pulled out a videotape cassette and opened the box. The tape cassette read:

POKÉMON IN LOVE  
Directed by Clevon Schpealbunk

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu grimaced as they looked at the tape. Then they looked at each other.

"How about checkers?" Misty asked. 

Ash agreed.

*

The Satsuma Island Convention Hall was only slightly worse for wear after it was cleaned up and the hole in one wall was boarded over. Now it was once more packed with visitors, enjoying the last day of the Water Pokémon Festival. News of the theft of the Blastoise and its subsequent recovery had spread like wildfire throughout the Orange Islands, and as a result even more visitors had come to share in the events.

Tracey was in front of the shiny Magikarp tank once again, making a new sketch. He had thrown away his old one and needed to replace it. The majestic fish swam around as delicately as ever, and the crowds around the tank stood in awe of the rainbow of colors reflected from its brilliant scales.

"We meet again," said a calm voice behind him. Tracey turned to see the serene face of Sergio.

"Hello, Sergio," Tracey greeted the Pokémon trainer. Sergio nodded in acknowledgement.

Just then, Cympelton came up to the Magikarp tank. He was very excited. Next to him was an attractive and intelligent-looking brunette woman in a white lab coat.

"Professor Ivy," Cympelton declared proudly, "this is the prize specimen in my collection. A shiny Magikarp, all the way from Rage Lake near Mahogany Town in Johto."

Ivy peered at the Magikarp in the tank and smiled. "You must be testing me," she replied laughingly. "This Magikarp came from a lot closer than that. This looks like one that you'd find around Rind Island right here in the Orange Archipelago."

The crowd around the tank had fallen silent by this time as everyone began to listen in on their conversation. Cympelton and Ivy were both experts in their field, and a disagreement between them would undoubtedly be interesting.

"My dear Professor Ivy," Cympelton responded in a slightly patronizing tone, "the spots on the underbelly leave no doubt that this Pokémon is from Rage Lake."

But Professor Ivy stood her ground. "The underbelly spots are from a fungus that is native to Johto," she explained patiently, "and so you find the Magikarp from there tend to have them, but you can't assume that yours is from there just because it has a certain type of fungus growing on it. The fin structure is what gives it away. You only see that fin shape on Magikarp from this area. Or didn't you know that?"

A few chuckles could be heard from the crowd, as Cympelton stood speechless from shock and embarrassment. Sergio, his voice serene as ever, mentioned, "My friend Tracey here made that very observation the other day."

"Really?" Professor Ivy said with interest, as she turned her attention from the now red-faced Cympelton to Tracey.

"Uh, well, yeah, I guess," Tracey said. "That is what I said."

Somebody in the crowd jested, "Alistair Cympelton may know his water Pokémon, but he needs a refresher course on fungus!" Everyone laughed.

Cympelton looked like he was ready to blow his top at this turn of events, but Professor Ivy paid no attention to him. "Well, you have amazing observational skills for one so young," Professor Ivy declared to Tracey in an impressed tone. "I don't suppose you'd consider taking on a professor's assistant job? My most recent assistant had to leave his position unexpectedly."

"Thank you very much, Professor Ivy," Tracey replied, "but I'm actually waiting to hear from another professor about a position already."

"You see?" Sergio declared to Tracey, with a glance towards the spluttering and thoroughly embarrassed Cympelton. "We all lose sometimes."

Tracey only smiled as he put the finishing touches to his drawing. He decided it would be the first one that he showed to Professor Oak when they reached Pallet Town and he asked for that assistant's job. And he was confident that he could get it. For the first time in his life, he truly believed in himself.

THE END


End file.
